Like many people, I have a Twitter account. My personal account revolves around the indie film and video industry and the people I “follow” or “friend” or “subscribe to” tend to reflect that interest. One of those is Lee Unkrich (@leeunkrich), Director of such Pixar classics as Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, and the upcoming Toy Story 3. He also edited Toy Story, Toy Story 2, and A Bug’s Life. Since I “follow” Lee (I’m going to assume we’re on a first name basis now) I am regularly updated on the status of his films, when they are coming out, contests he hosts to increase excitement about Pixar and new releases, and any behind-the-scenes quips he may care to share.
In March 2009, Walt Disney Studios and Pixar (and Lee) announced they would theatrically re-release Toy Story and Toy Story 2 together in 3-D. This double feature would be the first place to see the trailer of the newest film in the series, Toy Story 3. As an avid fan, I jumped at the chance to see the movies on the big screen again- and based on their reported box office receipts in October, I wasn’t the only one.
But it was while reading some of Lee’s “tweets” or messages on Twitter, that I was struck by yet another example of how Twitter is breaking down walls between people. While “listening” to the online chatter and responses from people who had attended the Toy Story double feature, Lee learned that not all of the theatres were showing the Toy Story 3 trailer – to a large number of people’s dismay! Lee immediately began putting the word out through his Twitter account that everyone should let him know exactly where and which theatres weren’t playing the trailer and he personally took care of it.
Let me repeat, a major studio director/editor was asking individual movie goers to send him a message detailing their problem and he would take care of it. They did. And he did. This is one of the amazing things about Twitter – accessibility. Not only does it provide a window into the lives of those we admire – whether thats a CEO or movie star – but it allows us to open a dialog with them (or at least feel like we do). In return it allows those who would otherwise be cut off from individual feedback to have a hand in their public perception and to connect with “the little people” and each other.
Imagine having this kind of control over how your products are displayed in a store, or being able to participate in consumers’ discussions about your brand. Twitter allows you to do this and more. So jump in and get involved in the conversation that is social media!
Tags: branding, case study, Corrie Davidson, Social Media, social networking, twitter
