Twitter users tweeted their way to prizes and supported local businesses along the way Thursday night as part of a Twitter Hunt in downtown Phoenix.
Started by Lew Gallo, owner of furniture store Haus Modern Living in downtown Phoenix, the scavenger hunt was created as a way to get customers to sign up for Twitter and support local businesses.
“It [was] a fun way to meet people, support local businesses and win prizes,” he said.
Eleven other small businesses were involved in the hunt, including restaurants and home furnishing stores.
The first tweets went out at 4 p.m., instructing hunters to visit one of three participating businesses to begin. Customers then had one hour to visit the first business, purchase an item worth at least $5 and receive an envelope instructing them where to go next.
New tweets were sent every hour to instruct the participants about where to go next, depending on the letter printed on their envelopes. At each stop, hunters received a free prize for participating and an envelope with information about the next location.
In order to create an atmosphere of urgency, Gallo said each business had only 12 envelopes, which would hopefully create competition over the prizes.
At just 5:05 p.m., Bri Darby, a Phoenix resident, arrived at Red Hot Robot toy gallery in Phoenix to begin the second round of the hunt and collect the first prize of the night.
“It gives you a real sense of community,” Darby said of the hunt.
Jason Kiningham, owner of Red Hot Robot, had a smile on his face as he handed out prizes and envelopes to the hunters.
“I think it’s a great way to get people out and get some new customers,” he said.
James Spiers, a senior lecturer at the W. P. Carey School of Business, said Twitter has become a key tool for expanding businesses by reaching customers directly.
Spiers said while it’s a new idea, it makes sense for a small business to utilize Twitter, and as more people become Twitter users, more possibilities for marketing will arise.
“This is the kind of thing that where we don’t know what the rules are yet … we are learning as we go along,” he said.
A study by LinkedIn Research Network, a professional networking site, released in June found only 8 percent of advertisers surveyed felt that Twitter was effective as a marketing tool, while the majority felt that it is only “somewhat effective.”
Gallo said the Twitter Hunt provided immediate results for both hunters and businesses because participants earned prizes and were required to make purchases from businesses.
As Twitter becomes more popular, it is proving to be a powerful marketing tool, Gallo said.
“I think Twitter is going to change our future,” he said. “Everyone that came was very excited.”
Gallo said the hunt was successful, and he plans to host another hunt in January in hopes of tripling the amount of participants.
“Whether you think Twitter is great or not, it is making such an impact, and it will change the way people do business,” he said. “So if you get in now, it will be easier to grow with it.”
Reach the reporter at anatwood@asu.edu
