QSRs Experiment with “Promoted Tweets”

TORONTO — Ever since the social-networking site Twitter exploded into public consciousness in 2009 — around the time celebrities started to bemoan the fact that the person previously tweeting under their name was, in fact, not them (see: Peter Mansbridg), but some comically inspired fraud — companies have been trying to figure out the best way to use the medium to increase revenues.

A tricky proposition, no doubt, as the most devoted Twitter users usually pan “unauthentic” dispatches that are tied to any thinly veiled corporate mandate. Some companies have managed it better than others, but now the executives behind Twitter are letting them advertise goods and services on the social-media tool through “Promoted Tweets.” The promotional messages appear at the top of a users search results, and are based on the search terms entered.

Mondoville, a new Toronto-based website that aims to capture the zeitgeist of the city, is featuring a story tracking five Canadian quick-service restaurants that recently created promotional tweets (Dairy Queen, Freshii, McDonald’s, New York Fries and Pizza Nova have all jumped in). To see just what these QSRs came up with, click here.