IHG twitters in Dubai
The social networking website Twitter has become one of the fastest growing communities over the past year, seeing a 974% increase in 2008 alone. Leaping from being the 2,953rd most popular website in the UK last year to 291st in mid January 2009, Twitter is fast becoming a contender for the social networking hub of choice. Used by everyone from celebrities and politicians to brands and companies, the possibilities of ‘Tweets’ as a communication tool of the future seem almost limitless.
The appeal of the micro blogging service lies with its instantaneous nature. Perfect for news gatherers, information can be sent to many people at once in short messages of 140 characters or less. This means messages are concise, and direct.
Some brands are using the service to spread information on special ‘online only’ offers, whilst others are creating communities whereby followers are invited to spark debate on how services could improve for them. Either way, the medium of micro blogs is developing communication traffic around the globe, providing internet users with yet another and even more vocal platform to voicing their opinions, and for companies to listen to them.
One such company leading the way in the social networking stakes is InterContinental Hotels Group, whose Dubai properties; InterContinental and Crowne Plaza Dubai Festival City have utilised media such as Facebook and Twitter to effectively launch a channel of communication with their consumers, inviting discussion and providing online rewards in the form of exclusive offers for their ‘Fans’ and ‘Followers’.
This summer for instance, they will embark on the largest ever Twitter giveaway, with a treasure hunt they call ‘Keast Tweets’. Starting May 7th, and then every second Thursday until August 13th 2009, Chief Concierge of InterContinental Dubai Festival City Adam Keast will be placed at a Dubai landmark with a gift voucher for a substantially high value prize. His location with then be disclosed to ‘followers’ of the hotel’s Twitter profile, and very simply the first person to get there will claim the prize.
The prizes will range in content from nights in the Presidential Suite, to luxury golf, spa and dinner packages, and have a combined total value of over AED 100,000. Over the four months the giveaway will be running the hotel will giveaway eight of these luxury prize packages to the fastest follower to find Keast.
The giveaway is expected to ignite the interest of Dubai residents who have yet to sign up to the new social networking craze, and encourage the development of a community of ‘online guests’ for the hotel, which already has over 2,000 followers receiving their alerts. For more information, the hotel invites those interested to follow the hotel’s twitter profile @InterConDFC.
