Twitter launches new "conversational ad" format to spread brand messages

Twitter has announced the launch of its new ad format called "conversational ads", these combine videos, polls, hashtags and the ability for people to retweet with a customised message. The aim is to encourage consumer engagement, the hope is that users will talk about brands thus helping to spread campaign messages. The ads include a call-to-action button, which once pressed, a pre-populated brand message appears, along with the creative and hashtag, allowing users to personalise the Tweet and share it will their followers. Lifetime and Samsung were among the first brands to test the new ad format, although some worry that conversational ads could lead to people trolling brands.  

Twitter is continuing to beef up its advertising offerings with a new interactive format.

The ads, debuting today, are called “conversational ads,” and they combine video, polls, hashtags and the ability for people to retweet it with a customized message. In a statement, Twitter said the new format makes it “even easier for consumers to engage with and then spread a brand’s campaign message,” because it apparently thinks people really want to share ads.