News
Robyn Hardman, Digital Consultant
We Love First Direct’s Choose-Your-Own Twitter Adventure
As part of their campaign to promote savvy saving among millennials, First Direct have created perhaps the world’s first ‘choose-your-own’ adventure on Twitter.
First Direct are probably best known for their quirky advertising and tone of voice, possibly even more than the banking services they offer. From beatboxing birds to hand-stitched tapestries illustrating the ‘boomerang’ effect (you know, where grown-up kids move back in to their parents’ house because they can’t afford to rent or buy), First Direct have really been pushing the boat out when it comes to great advertising.
However, our favourite campaign from First Direct in recent weeks isn’t a huge publicity stunt – it’s just very clever. Teaming up with social media agency We Are Social, the bank have put together the first ever (to our knowledge, anyway) choose-your-own Twitter adventure.
What should Matt do tonight? Decide what happens next by choosing a handle. @MattGoesOut @MattStaysIn pic.twitter.com/sEdXzXE7DK
— first direct (@firstdirect) November 10, 2016
Remember how a choose-your-own story works? In First Direct’s version, you use a series of short videos and a plethora of different Twitter accounts to choose whether a chap called Matt goes out or stays in. The aim of it all is to see whether Matt saves face with his friends or saves money. There are a number of different ways the story can go – you can go all out and make Matt splash out on a big night, choose to stay in all the way, or change your mind halfway through and get the best of both worlds. All in all, it presents First Direct as a flexible bank, ready to help you save for something big or to assist you in mitigating the damage after a great night out.
FOMO getting the better of you? See what happens when @MattForksOut pic.twitter.com/Sk2VzA3GAA
— @MattEscapes (@MattEscapes) November 10, 2016
We all know that video advertising is, at present, the most effective way of reaching out to social media users, but it’s often very passive. By gamifying the story, First Direct’s campaign gives control over to the consumer, resulting in deeper engagement and a more personal connection with the brand. We’re wondering what crazy idea they’ll have next …
Feel like getting social? Check out some more of our industry insight:
- Let’s get visual: Twitter ditches character count for images
- And we’re rolling: The best uses of Facebook Live
- Silence is golden: The importance of silent videos in marketing
Found this helpful? Sign up for our newsletter!
Our monthly newsletter brings together the best of our blogs, work and news in one handy email. Why not sign up today to find out more about all things social media, PR, design and digital?