Twitter; the start of the real never-ending story?

Being useful is something that many brands are trying to increasingly become. It’s something that our Rory has talked about.

He believes that brands will resonate with consumers if they fulfill one of three old world roles, either that of courtier (trusted advisor), court jester (entertainer) or courtesan (pleaser).

And there are some great presentations out there on Twittering for business and step by step ways in which a business can be useful to their customers and not resort to interrupting a conversation. Here’s one from the  Ogilvy US Digital Influence massif;

This I think is very clever.

But perhaps we may be focusing a little too much on the utilitarian possibilities for brands in social media?

Perhaps we need to lighten up and think about all the amazingly fun stuff we can make to entertain our clients customers? I think there is a huge opportunity, particularly on Twitter, for brands, or for characters produced by brands, to be that court jester.

I’m on Twitter. I’ve been on Twitter for a while. Most of the people I follow (probably 85%) work in either planning, PR, creative departments, tech companies etc; all with a vested interest in Twitter from a professional standpoint.

But what of the other 15% of the people I follow? Well, mainly I just want to be entertained by them. Here are some Tweet handles that people round the office were entertained by too. Let me know if I’ve missed any off.

Google sightseeing
Bio: James and Alex Turnbull bring you the most amazing sights from Google Earth, Maps, and Street View.

QIkipedia  
Bio: ’A’ Quite Interesting fact every day from the QI research team. Apparently there has been a fair amount of  ”fact-based banter” between QI and @AQA63336

DrSamuelJohnson
Bio: Writer, Dictionary Compiler, Wit, Wracked by th’infernal GOUT

Aleksandr
Bio: I am Aleksandr, founder of comparethemeerkat.com.I live and make my work in Moscow, where many generations of my family have thrive.
(Brilliantly maintained by VCCP). 

(And my personal fave) Borat
Bio:  I make Sexy Time!

And there are a whole host of others. A good directory to find them is on is We Follow.

What struck me about the last three put forward was that they weren’t even real characters. Nor do we know if they are written by the official writing team (unlike the aforementioned Peep Show accounts). And the 62,336 followers of Borat don’t seem too bothered that it is unclear whether the tweets are penned by Sacha Baron Cohen, the orginal creator of Mr Sagdiyev. Whilst the 3,375 who follow Mark Corrigan, a fictional Peep Show character seem pretty content in the knowledge that Mark isn’t real. After all, people will vote with their feet, or in this case fingers. It seems authenticity is one think for brands in social media but not necessarily the be all and end all if you entertain…

Is this the beginning of the convergence of tele and tinterweb for entertainment? Why stop at making a funny 30 second TV ad or comedy programme? Or radio show? And what will be the difference between the two if everyone is trying to be funny?! Why can’t agencies create a never-ending (branded?) episode where all the characters can interact with each other in real time, ad-libbed by a smart bunch of writers who understand the characters created? 

Are we really about to see the creation of the real never-ending story?!

And the beauty of these characters is their ability to interact with the people who follow them; their fans… enabling the story to take on unprecedented twists and turns. They would also be able to find appropriate people to follow on Twitter using hashtags and keyword conversation searches pertinent to the characters and target audiences interests which in turn would add depth to the personality created. And perhaps in a few years,  the dialogue on Twitter will eventually inform the narrative for the TV show turning the whole creative into a huge ARG…! The mind boggles.

So what do you think? Are we focusing too much on utility benefits of social media rather than emotional payoffs? Are we at a tipping point of online and offline entertainment content converging? How will agencies and production companies staff these new ever-changing and never-ending stories? How developed should the storyboards be now?!

I think I need a sit down. Somebody pass my phone, I fancy catching up with Borat for a bit.