Twitter Inc (NYSE:TWTR) is increasingly making efforts to position the platform more than just a destination for the latest news. And, it appears, its efforts are bearing fruits. In Spain, a Nissan dealer sold a car on Twitter, first for any European automotive brand, the automaker said.
A new to buy a car
Raul Escolano – a Twitter user – challenged the automakers in the region to sell him a car using only the social platforms. Escolano used a hashtag #compraruncocheportwitter (“Buy a car on Twitter”) to throw the challenge.
Following this, a Nissan dealer in the Spanish city of A Coruña – Antamotor – used Periscope to give Escolano a personalized walkthrough of the Nissan X-Trail. Escolano even conducted a poll on Twitter to rate the cars he was considering. In the poll, the X-Trail bagged 43% of the votes, helping Nissan to “seal the deal.”
Escolano received the keys to the car by courier. This kept the dealer at a distance throughout the transaction except when the car was eventually picked up from Nissan’s Spanish headquarters.
This car purchasing experience was quite convenient, and not time consuming at all. Hence, this would probably be not the last car to be sold on Twitter. There are many places to buy a car online, including sites such as Vroom or Beepi, but purchasing cars on the micro-blogging giant is completely different, new and rather novel phenomenon.
Verizon promotion plan goes wrong on Twitter
Separately, Verizon took a logical step of advertising its latest offers following its announcement of new data plans and higher prices on Wednesday. The wireless carrier brought in celebrities like Jamie Fozz, Selena Gomez and LeBron James for short video spots to be shared on the social media platforms like Twitter and Snapchat.
In a bid to raise awareness, Verizon bought the #IGotVerizon trending topic on the micro-blogging site on Thursday as well. Some users used the hashtag as the wireless carrier intended, but some took out their anger with the increased rates. Verizon rivals also joined the bashing. Both the CEO of T-Mobile and Sprint, who are very active on Twitter, shared their thoughts on Verizon’s plans.
In an email to USA TODAY, Kelly Crummey – Verizon’s director of communications – said recent headlines misrepresented their new plan and app as a price hike. “The price per GB of data has decreased, by as much as $17.50 for the S size plan. We’re bringing together options customers want in a new plan with more value and new features, a new app that puts customers in control, all on the best network,” Crummey further wrote.
