1. Twitter’s
“Conversation
Targeting”
Jesse
Wolfersberger
22/11/2013
Background & Details
Twitter has launched a new advertising product, TV
Conversation Targeting, to sit alongside its existing TVcentric TV Ad Targeting offering. In order to know if
either, or both, of these products is a good fit for a brand,
it is important to note their differences:


TV Ad Targeting – Was launched in May and uses
the digital fingerprinting technology acquired in
the Bluefin Labs purchase. it algorithmically
determines which commercials were shown
during which programs, and serves a brand’s
Promoted Tweets to users who likely were watching those shows. The primary use is to remarket to
consumers who likely saw the brand’s television commercial recently.
o Availability: U.S. only
o Best for: Brands with large, national television campaigns, with ads airing across a variety of
shows and networks.
TV Conversation Targeting – newly launched. Allows marketers to target Promoted Tweets to
consumers of a specific television program. Similar to Ad Targeting, Twitter algorithmically
determines users who likely watched a show and serves them Promoted Tweets. The main
difference between Conversation Targeting and Ad Targeting is a brand determines which programs
to target, rather than using Twitter’s digital fingerprinting algorithm.
o Availability: U.S. and UK
o Best for: Brands with close ties to a specific show through ads or otherwise. For example, a
brand integrated with a show through sponsorship or product placement would need to use
Conversation Targeting because the fingerprinting algorithms of Ad Targeting would not
recognize those signals.
Implications & Summary
These two products can be used in tandem for brands that want to ensure maximum reach of as many
Twitter users as possible who had recently seen that brand’s commercial.
Beyond the nuts and bolts of targeting methodology, Conversation Targeting gives marketers a new way to
be creative with their Promoted Tweets. Because the brand is targeting a specific program, its social team
can create tweets referencing the plot of the episode or the events of an award show, making for a more
relevant and engaging brand message. For example, imagine Oreo’s now-famous “Dunk in the Dark” tweet
not only sent out to Oreo’s followers, but also delivered as a Promoted Tweet to people watching the Super
Bowl.
Through both these products Twitter is strengthening its ties with television. Twitter’s customers use it for
real-time conversations about their favorite shows, and Twitter has embraced this trend by creating
products to connect brands with those users. The purchase of Bluefin Labs was the first step in this direction
and these TV-to-tweet products are the next, but they surely will not be the last.