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Despite lacking performance data and discoverability tools, Threads’ rapid adoption—passing 100 million sign-ups in five days—has incentivized brands to flock to the Twitter clone app.
Shortly after Threads’ launch last Wednesday, brands including Netflix, Lyft, Wendy’s, Spotify, Rare Beauty and Starbucks took to the platform to indulge in real-time conversations and build a strong follower base. Marketers will be assessing user behavior on Twitter and Threads, especially during upcoming live cultural events like the Super Bowl and the Olympics, to determine the real winner of the social media cage fight.
“Some [brands] are using [Threads] as a direct Twitter replacement, syndicating the same content they’re posting on Twitter to see if it gets similar or better traction,” said Liz Cole, chief social officer at WPP’s VMLY&R.
Meanwhile, Meta has no plans to integrate Threads with its Business Suite this year, according to Natasha Blumenkron, vp of paid social at Tinuiti, who anticipates paid features to roll out in early 2024.
“Brands want to be where users are, and if they are flocking to Threads, brands will follow and nurture them there,” Blumenkron said.
Race to gain followers and establish brand voice
In its first days, the brand objective at agency Vision Social, most of whose clients are on the new platform, lies in building an early following, one way to measure success.
“In terms of the content strategy, tone and voice of the platform, [brands] are still trying to figure that out,” said Nathan Byrd, founder of Vision Social. Byrd did not disclose the names of brand partners on Threads.
In one such case, mattress brand Casper took to the platform and gained more than 11,000 followers on its first day and grew to 14,000 over the weekend. The brand’s first move on the app is to have conversations with its users and other brands.
“We’re not trying to jump the gun on pretending to know exactly what this platform is,” said Nick Miaritis, chief client officer of VaynerMedia, which runs the Casper account. “Because there’s not an ad product associated with it, there is also an opportunity for [brands] to over-index with audiences who [they] don’t necessarily reach.”
TikTok famous brands, such as Olipop, a prebiotic soda, immediately jumped on Threads and gained more than 16,000 followers in its first few days. Similarly, The Honey Pot Company, a plant-derived feminine hygiene brand, gained 25,000 followers.
Elsewhere, brands are using Threads to develop their brand voice and let people get familiar with the platform in a fun way, said Blumenkron.
The ribbing of rivals seen often on social media among quick-service restaurants has quickly translated to Threads.
Limitations in ROI and data
The lack of performance data, such as impressions, has meant brands have struggled to draw meaningful conclusions on their purpose or potential ROI on Threads for now.
“[This makes] it tricky to put context around what it means to be successful on the channel,” said VMLY&R’s Cole.
At the same time, real-time conversations need constant content monitoring, which comes as a challenge on Threads, said Tinuiti’s Blumenkron.
Threads also lack most elements of discoverability, like hashtags and keyword searches.
“[This makes] Twitter feel like such an open window into the world,” said Cole. “Both of those things could evolve in the future, but it has made for some initial eyebrow raises.”
This story has been updated to reflect more recent numbers of Threads sign-ups.
