Over the past decades, the advent of the internet and the rise of social media has changed

the ways of advertising. Companies have adapted their advertising styles in order to compete

and stand out. From pop up ads to banner advertisements on websites, companies are

aggressively fighting for recognition and engagement with consumers.

This has only inincreased as social media rose to prominence in the public. Companies

scurried to different social media platforms, trying to expand their customer base and stamp out

competition. Social media is aimed towards individual users, structured in a way to seem casual,

personal and “human.” Attempting to stay ahead, brands and companies adapted to these

platforms, creating a new genre of advertising that I (and others) call is called, Brand Twitter.

Brand Twitter is not just any company or brand with a twitter account. It is a specific

phenomena that are characterized by a couple of common themes many accounts tend to have.

The most successful ones are generally snarky, a bit cynical and humorous,. tThey often have

little to do with the company or products that they sell, usinge casual language, and are well-

versed in internet lingo. and adept at “clapping back.” They often do not advertise their products

or services, but work on engaging and interacting with potential customers.

It is pretty obvious here that these are all tactics that help the company receive exposure,

or “...tools to help people get things done.4(Dirk Navigating Genres, 253)” In our case, this applies

to both the current and antecedent antecedent genres, print advertising and billboards, which

require different tools to reach one goal, which is, “Sell stuff.”

In order to “sell stuff”, engagement is key. Brand Twitter follows traditions set in the past

by, print and billboard advertisements. While the new genre shares some aspects of these
different types of advertising, the use of Twitter as a platform altered it into something new and

unique. I will look at Twitter posts by brands Moon Pie11, Old Spice22,and Wendy’s33

comparing them to an old Johnson & Johnson44 print ad and two billboard advertisements5.s56

Billboard ads Effective billboard advertisements need to be short, concise and eye-

catching.tend to use more quick witted advertising. Because they are often need to get the point

across quickly, to someone in a car or on the go, so the product their intent is generally clear

They need to leave a lasting impression, creating intrigue and ensuring to stay in the public’s

mind long after they drive past them. . The movie billboard advertisement (for The Grinch)5)

contains a line of humorous text with the date of the movie's release, the movie’s name and a

hashtag and some information about the movie. The product here is clear, the movieThe movie is

the product. Again, since the intent must be understood quickly, the advertisement should be

short, and often humorous in order to catch people’s eye. While

The other billboard contains the phrase, “Netflix is a joke,” in large, plain lettering. Like

the previous billboard, it is short and to the point, but with an added layer of mystery. It plants

itself into the public’s mind, keeping them intrigued and wondering what this is actually about.

Brand Twitter contains characteristics these two, (and many other billboards) do. Posts

are usually short, such as the Old Spice post, “Why is it that "fire sauce" isn't made with any real

fire? Seems like false advertising.” They often use humor, like Moon Pie’s post, “We

Have...Blow up the Sun.” They are often less explicit about what they are advertising, following

along in the lines of the Netflix billboard. This is all because of the platform they’re situated in,

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the audience functions in a way similar to those of billboards. As people scroll through their

twitter feeds, they are not carefully reading every single post, but stopping at whatever catches

their eye. Brand Twitter’s product is not explicit like this, it does oftenSo posts need to use short,

humorous or mysterious lines because of constraints due to Twitter’s platform. Like billboards,

humor and interest is important, drawing people in who might exit out of the site in other

circumstances.

ThePrint ads, on the other hand, tend to work differently. The Johnson & Johnson ad6

utilizes sentimental language, attempting to appeal to the emotions of its audience. Over several

lines, it talks of the things people will do due to the love of their child. At the very end the logo

Johnson & Johnson appear, with the phrase, “For all your love.” Not once does it mention their

products. They are just establishing their brand as caring and human. Seemingly far removed

from Brand Twitter’s snark, in this case, it employs the same similar tools. They move away

from being a faceless brand, but try to seem like something more than that, something more

personal.

Wendy’s post is a photo of a McDonald’s truck, and they ask, “Is it a garbage truck?”

Classic twitter snark, and nothing like the sentimentality of the Johnson and Johnson ad. But it is

personal and, “human.” The post is actually a response to another user asking what they think

that is. By responding to the user, and engaging with them using humor, they are able to create

relationships with the consumer. This is exactly what the print ad was attempting to do. Just as

the Johnson ad is telling its audience that they understand

 the love for your child, that they are there for “All your love,” The Wendy’s post is

telling it’s customers that they are with them, and almost one of them. They will make similar

jokes and “clap back,” they will respond to customers and be laid back.

While Bbrand Twitter may be seen as a combination of its two antecedent genres, it’s

very much its own genre, employing tools and techniques from the two in order to find a

different path and achieve the, “sell” goal.” Twitter and the internet create their own genres and

expectations, Brand Twitter conformed to them, shifting their purpose. In this case, an important

one is to “go viral.”

A good example of this effect is Moon Pie’s twitter post. In one short tweet, they mention

the need to blow up the sun.7 Is this explicitly about Moon Pie’s? No, obviously not. Is it

considered humorous? It is at least is supposed to be. The tweet is surprisingly “on brand”,

hinting that Moon Pie hates the sun because it cares about the moon. It exhibits the light surreal

qualities and irreverence that twitter, and the internet tend to celebrate. All of this is the perfect

mixture to go viral and reach a large audience, which I’d argue this tweet did with 10.4 thousand

likes and 1.7 thousands shares.

Going viral increases the audience and creates talk about the brand. The use of Twitter as

a platform dictates the audience, often younger and more internet savvy consumers. As

previously stated,they are tuned into to theinto the language and customs of the internet,

expecting these from others on twitter. Brand Twitter complies, using informal and often

humorous language. The push for a younger audience creates consumers who may last a lifetime,

also targeting people who are more receptive when a brand is their “friend.”
 The effectiveness of this new genre of advertising is hard to measure. Why will a funny

Moon Pie post with nothing to do with the product be an effective selling tactic? I don’t know

the answer, but I can see its effect on myself. I dislike this genre of advertising and even I can’t

help but find the posts funny. The humor and person-like qualities of the brands likely soften my

feelings of the company.

Why does Wendy’s making fun of McDonald’s sell hamburgers, and what makes Old

Spice questioning sauce names and arguing with other brands sell deodorant?

I believe humanizing the brands soften consumers' feelings towards the company. They

see these posts, find them funny or relatable, and create a sort of affection towards them. They

root for them, and may even be attracted to their products when it is time for them to buy food or

deodorant.

While all are advantages to the company, the This of course is advantageous to the

company.genreBut the genre is not perfect, it contains restraints that its antecedent genres may

not. Using Twitter as a platform dictates the number of words possible, with alength of a post to

be 280 character limit.s. Explicit advertising will rarely go viral, since internet users learn to

ignore ads since when they’re so ubiquitous on the internet. Its tone and use of language is

important as wellt, since Brand Twitter must keep up with new internet slang. It is also expected

to be relatively snarky and irrevent, sentimental language will likely be ignored, since , humour

is sos celebrated.

All of these factors coalesced, forming a new genre. From the new audience of younger,

internet savvy users, a need to go viral, and newer constraints the platform creates, I believe

Brand Twitter qualifies as a new genre.

 The overarching goal of Brand Twitter is to foster a relationship with consumers. It is a

slow-burn plan, eventually leading consumers to their side. Consumers associate the brand as

good and familiar (knowingly or not) because its twitter account creates a bridge of humanity.

The brand feels real, like a friend or personality. It creates a trust between the consumer and the

brand, turning a faceless corporation into a relatable person. It makes them feel human. This is

the biggest reason that Brand Twitter is a new genre of advertising. Brands strove to seem caring

or humorous before, now they can masquerade as people.