Revolution Forum: Bogus brands have no place on Twitter

by Gareth Jones, revolutionmagazine.com 01-Jul-09, 13:26

LONDON: Advertisers who tweet on behalf of their celebrity brand-icons are 'bogus' and have no place on Twitter, according to Nike's marketing boss.

Delivering the keynote speech at the Revolution Forum, Simon Pestridge, Nike's outgoing UK marketing director, claimed all Nike brand icons currently using the microblogging service, including Lance Armstrong and Paula Radcliffe, are 100 per cent genuine.

"It's all about the athletes in that environment," he said. "Consumers don't want to hear from Nike on Twitter. It would be bogus."

Pestridge also called on brands not to be so focused on ROI, claiming that creativity is sacrificed by marketers chasing a short-term return on their marketing investment rather than a long-term gain.

"It's al about ROI 2.0," he said. "Forget return on investment and think about return on innovation, intimacy and inspiration."

Pestridge is stepping down from his role as marketing director for UK and Ireland this week to become global brand director, sportswear for Nike in the US.