Kellogg’s #tweetshop
An innovative new campaign by Kellogg’s uses tweets as social media currency. Based in a temporary pop-up store in London’s Soho neighborhood, customers were able to “purchase” Special K Cracker Crisps with a tweet. The concept illustrates the value that Twitter holds in the real world.
Consumers purchased a bag of crisps simply by sending a tweet in-store that includes #tweetshop.  The response was very positive. Customers were tweeting in-store to claim their Crisps, and others were simply tweeting the hashtag to share the “products for tweets” concept.
The pop-up store – open for just four days – was staffed by Special K girls in red dresses, selling Special K Cracker Crisps. The store also featured a live notice board that displayed #tweetshop tweets in realtime.
Sarah Case, brand manager for Special K, said in a statement, “The value of positive endorsements on social-media sites is beyond compare, so we’re excited to be the first company to literally use social currency instead of financial currency to launch this new product in our bespoke Special K shop.”
Another concept that uses tweeting as ‘currency’ is the world’s first Twitter-activated vending machine in South Africa, where tweeting with the hashtag #tweet4t earned consumers a free BOS ice tea.
Kellogg’s has taken things a step further, labeling the tweets as ‘payment’ and recognizing the power of sharing on social networks as a form of currency in itself.  Do you think using ‘social media currency’ in this way has potential for other product launches?
Marissa McNaughton