Local Ad Agency President Conducts World’s Largest Mardi Gras Twitter Experiment

A dedicated user of social media networking tools and believer in the benefits they can provide to businesses, Tom Martin, president of Zehnder Communications and regular contributor to Advertising Age, will be doing a first for Mardi Gras this year—conducting the world’s first and largest Twitter experiment armed with only his iPhone and a mobile Twitter service.

As part of the experiment, Martin will provide a glimpse into a side of Mardi Gras not typically seen in mass media, the “off-Bourbon” family side filled with food, floats and fun. Via Twitter, Martin will stream the final weekend of Mardi Gras beginning Friday, February 20 through Fat Tuesday, February 24 by sending Tweets (140 character text messages) with photographs attached.

After the floats and frivolity have passed, Martin will analyze participants’ thoughts, questions, perceptions and use of Twitter over the five-day live stream. He will report findings from this analysis via his Advertising Age blog posts and via his personal blog, Positive Disruption.

“Twitter is evolving into one of the hottest social media platforms around,” said Martin. “Because it gives businesses a channel of communication to build relationships, share information and directly converse with their audiences in real-time, it certainly has benefits from a marketing perspective.”

“My ultimate goal with the Mardi Gras experiment is to report useful insights to help others understand what a powerful medium Twitter is rapidly becoming,” continued Martin. “There are many debates about how businesses can effectively use Twitter to deliver value to their audiences. I hope my findings help companies gain a greater understanding of Twitter, and as a result, help them to become better marketers in today’s digital world.”

Twitter is a social networking site that allows users to share short bits of real-time information and to broaden their base of contacts through a relaxed atmosphere of collaboration. 

Current Twitter users can follow @TomMartin to participate and get a one-of-a-kind view into New Orleans Mardi Gras. For people not currently using Twitter, Martin provides seven easy steps for setting up a Twitter account on his Positive Disruption blog. 

To view Martin’s Positive Disruption blog with sign-up steps and details about his Twitter experiment, visit http://budurl.com/TwitStory.

Zehnder Communications, Inc. is an integrated advertising agency providing a wide range of services including strategic marketing, social marketing, public relations, media placement, creative services, interactive design and programming. With offices in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, the agency has been serving the greater Southeast region for 12 years.

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