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Our Early Reactions to Threads

by | Jul 6, 2023 | Instagram, Social Media, Twitter

In a recent upheaval to the social media landscape, Meta introduced Threads. In less than a week, the platform attracted more than 100 million users, becoming the fastest network to reach that milestone. Threads served the first real external blow to Twitter, which has been losing users and money as a result of self-inflicted wounds since the company’s change in ownership.

Here at Creagent Marketing (and Urban Corning), we wanted to be early adopters of the app. Our intern, Olivia Proudfoot, quickly created a Threads account for Urban Corning less than 24 hours after the app was launched. Below are five of her initial observations:

Users can start out with a base of followers, making it easy to get started

Right when you first open the app, the Instagram accounts you own are listed and you can easily log into any of them. You can even import your Instagram bio and website URL in one click. Then you are brought to a screen listing everyone you already follow on Instagram; you can instantly follow all of those same accounts with one click. This makes it incredibly easy to get started on the app without having to spend time searching for the hundreds of accounts you follow on Instagram. It also gives you a base followers right from the start. I think it feels a lot easier to get started on an app when you know you’re going to see familiar friends and content from the start.

People were very fast to download the app and be active on it

As I first looked at the feed section, I was surprised to see how many large companies and celebrities were already on the app and posting. I created Urban Corning’s account less than a day after the app was released, yet many companies and celebrities already had a number of “threads” posted and a lot of activity on those threads. 

Companies are taking a casual, funny approach to their posts

Companies are being very casual on the platform. The way companies are using the app reminds me of how they use TikTok. Companies use both of these apps with a more casual, funny, and personable approach. I have always enjoyed seeing big, well-known brands post funny videos or comments on TikTok that make it seem like they are just a normal user of the app, and it seems this approach is what’s being used on Threads so far. 

People are actively comparing Threads with Twitter

I have noticed there have already been many posts shading Twitter. The first thing I learned about the app when it was released was that it is extremely similar to Twitter, and many think it could replace Twitter altogether. I wondered how high the chances were that this app replaces Twitter, because when Instagram added Reels it did not seem to affect TikTok usage at all. But with all the controversy happening with Twitter and all of the posts on the app I am seeing that are talking negatively about Twitter, I think it is possible Threads will be a strong competitor.

My predictions for Threads

I really do think that Threads will end up being successful based on what I have already seen on the app. Many influencers that I follow on Instagram already have an account and are encouraging people to join the app and follow them. While I do not think it could completely replace Twitter, I think it is going to be a major competitor for the platform. Threads is new and exciting, and it’s gained popularity fast. I can see Threads sticking around for a while and being really successful. 

Social media is such a significant part of our daily lives now, so it’s really interesting to see a new app be launched that could potentially become one of the platforms we check every day. As a brand new app there is some room for improvement, but I was overall really impressed with the app right from the beginning. I’m excited to see where the app goes and to see if it will become as popular as TikTok, Snapchat, and Instagram. 

A Lesson in Twitter from Nike and Tiger Woods

by | May 17, 2019 | Blog, Insight, Marketing, Social Media, Sports, Twitter

At approximately 2:27 p.m. EST, on Sunday, April 14, Twitter erupted.

At that exact moment, Tiger Woods sank a two-foot putt, winning the 2019 Masters and successfully completing one of the sports world’s most remarkable comebacks.

Just minutes later, Nike dropped a 52-second video on its social media channels starring the golfer. In a matter of moments, the video was viral – garnering more than 26 million views on Twitter and another 13 million on Instagram. Three times as many people as Nike has total followers viewed, shared, and commented on the posts.

Nike’s tweet wasn’t all that special, when you think about it. It was just a quick video, a short caption, and a hashtag. The video even lacked a narrator, it was just a collection of clips from Tiger’s past and a pretty standard music bed. Nowhere in the tweet did Nike even congratulate the golfer.

The words that flashed across the screen along with the video’s images simply read:

It’s crazy to think a 43-year-old, who has experienced every high and every low and has just won his 15th major is chasing the same dream as a 3-year-old. Just do it.

-Nike

It’s exactly that script and what the tweet didn’t say that made it so viral.

Undoubtedly, Tiger Woods is one of the most accomplished athletes in the world. His success on the links is internationally recognized, and the failures in his personal life have become just as public. He has played both the hero and the villain of his own story. People love to love him, and people love to hate him. And people really, really love to talk about him.

Once Tiger made that putt, millions of tweets – recognizing everything from his incredible comeback win to those above-mentioned personal shortcomings – were shared. Nike took full advantage of that. Their tweet simply contributed to the conversation. It was a conversation that they didn’t start themselves, so they didn’t try to control its narrative. Nike’s content was specific to Tiger Woods and incredibly relevant in the moment, yet just broad enough that people were able to take the content and make it their own.

People quoted and shared Nike’s tweet as they added their own opinions and gave their unique takes on the situation. As they continued to contribute to that global conversation, Nike’s tweet earned more and more impressions and its video collected millions of views.

Nike is a global brand, so it’s sometimes easy to assume that each piece of its marketing strategy is supported by millions of dollars worth of research and creative. That’s probably true. But, at its core, Nike’s very simple and very viral tweet can still serve as a lesson for all marketers, regardless of the size of our businesses, our budgets, or our clients.

Here are some common themes of a successful tweet that we can all take away:

  • Interact with your followers and attract new fans by participating in the global conversation
  • Increase engagement by sharing original, highly relevant content
  • Make that content more shareable by limiting how “salesy” it is
  • Don’t try to control the narrative, join a conversation and let your fans, your content, and your do the work

Nike did all of the above. Its homage to Tiger wasn’t just a congratulatory nod. It was a well-timed, calculated yet simple, extremely successful social media marketing effort – one that deserves just as much recognition as Tiger’s historic victory.