If you’ve not yet heard of the “Twitter Challenge” thrown down by Kutcher against CNN, which he has marketed online, offline and on an interstate near you, then you might want to take a minute and watch this video:

Through a slew of videos, articles and press appearances in the days following Kutcher’s above announcement, he refined his message to explain that “this promotion was not really about him”. Nope! It was to prove that the power of one voice can be as big–or, um, bigger–than one big ol’ media company. But that’s not the kicker. This plight-to-shift-power-to-the people was waged against the very media outlet who has been the veritable leader in embracing social media. For years.
Well before Kutcher had a twitter account, CNN produced the groundbreaking CNN/YouTube Debates giving we little guys not only a voice but making us the defacto directors of all questions asked of the candidates (I covered that program here and here). Moreover, they encourage ‘iReporters’ to post their user-generated videos right to the CNN site, keep current Twitter accounts, send daily prizes to readers who come up with the best title for their blog entries and create social media promotions that aren’t only novel, but truly useful. So Kutcher picked a friendly fight with an enemy who has been empowering the little guy all the while.
No matter, CNN was happy to play in the publicity stunt and share the spotlight, and it must have been a nice break from 24/7 economic doom and gloom coverage. And since Ted Turner lives in the city where Kutcher will shortly be filming his next blockbuster, yet another promo that Kutcher plugged repeatedly in his videos!, it makes one wonder if his agenda is wrought not solely from personal conviction so much as geographical convenience. I was relieved, however, to see that both sides agreed to include a charity component quickly after announcing the smackdown, as a social cause was not mentioned at the outset.
Alas, when he reached his millionth follower, Kutcher declared it “YOUR victory!” explaining “This was all you guys, because I can’t follow myself.” So, um, if he could follow himself I guess victory would be his alone? I still don’t understand that sound bite. Heck, I still can’t understand how this promotion wasn’t all about him… oh right, because he said it was about you, you and you x a million.
But here’s the thing: None of the above opinion matters. (Not even a little bit.)
Hey, I’m no sheep, but I’m no fool either. My personal views have no place in judging the efficacy of this promotion. They’re just that, my opinions. What matters is the market’s response. As a professional, I have to take a big step back, in this case more like a country mile, and assess the program objectively. Anything else would be myopic on my part. And hands-down, this promotion was a master’s stroke by all involved. I’d also be lying if I said that the lessons–some new matched with many old–were nothing short of fascinating to witness.
So on that note, let’s review what all we’ve learned through a very noisy week on the Twitter front:
New tools reflect age-old behavior.
AdAge reporter Simon Dumenco stated it best–and I highly suggest this read–but, in a nutshell, while we have a lot of new tools in our marketing mix we also have age-old behaviors at play. As Dumenco illuminates: “Either way, Ash [Ashton Kutcher] and Brit [Britney Spears] are evidence that something rather retro is happening to the social-networking realm. The most successful Twitterers and the most-friended users of Facebook with really active news feeds are reverting to a rather pre-Web 2.0 paradigm: broadcasting. The Few speaking to The Many.”

Messaging is mission-critical in moving the masses.
The “man against machine” premise is powerful; always has been. Harken back to the famous ‘1984-inspired’ Apple Superbowl Commercial and this “rising up against the man” still resonates today. Even when stacking the facts, not the spin, CNN has done more for the evolution of social media than any celebrity, or major news outlet heretofore. And while Ashton’s Challenge does not a movement make–a movement changes social, political, cultural or economic orders–because it was positioned as such, it excited people to get behind it to attain the goal.
Democracies, ironically, still hail to Kings.
As part of the promotion Oprah took the plunge into Twitter on her show last Friday. Before firing off her first tweet she hailed social media’s democratization of content to the audience. And then in introducing Kutcher she declared him “The King of Twitter.” Technically, a democracy means a clean break from anything resembling a monarchy (most especially kings). Nonetheless, after seeing tons of “Kutcher’s the King of Twitter Now!!!” tweets proves that many people, even on the world’s “most democratized” of media platforms, still fancy a King. Yep, irony indeed runs deep.

Promotions favor all persons and platforms involved.
The challenge paid publicity dividends galore to Camp Kutcher, Team Oprah and CNN. But, above all, Twitter emerged the true winner. Now, sharing the promotional wealth has always been the benefit of co-promotions, that’s nothing new. But in this new age, the platform (Twitter) is as much a star as the stars themselves.
People are like sheep– and so it follows, that tweeple can be sheeple.
Much as I deplore group think mentalities (and actions), this is actually good news for marketers that can land a likable spokesperson, the right message and lots of press–because people, like sheep, will follow solely because you tell them to and because they see others doing so. Don’t believe me? Here’s the litmus test: if people truly believed in the value of Ashton’s voice on twitter they would have been following him well before the major media blitz. Don’t get me wrong, scores of people did follow him before, just not as many as were following CNN. Or Britney Spears.
All told, watching the herd of humanity flock to Kutcher, and then watching many regret their sheepish ways, was for me, the most intriguing aspect of this experiment. No, I wasn’t a sheep as I never followed Ashton before or during the competition– and, due to the challenge I unfollowed CNN, but I’m mindful that I was never the target audience.

There is no one way right way to tweet (or employ any social media tools).
I’m an avid supporter that social media gives us choice not only in which tools we leverage, but in how we use them. Do I advise my clients and colleagues to use them ethically and with a sharp focus on their audience, not them? Absolutely. Do I think there exist best practices with these tools? Yup. But one need not follow to be followed (Kutcher follows under 100), nor does one have to subscribe to the same tools and play by the same rules as others as they are case-specific for each entity and every endeavor.
New media needs old media to succeed– and vice/versa.
I’ve never been one to cry “Traditional media will whither and die now that we have social media!” I find that notion patently absurd. While Kutcher’s Web videos spread like wildfire, had it not been for his publicity appearances on broadcast TV and the “Follow Ashton” billboards across the nation, the promotion would not have gained nearly as much attention. Thus, an integration of media was, is and will always be key.
And the other takeaway for marketers is that new media needs old media in order to migrate to mainstream status and for maximum impact with their audiences. But that’s not the whole story. Old media also needs new media in order to evolve and stay competitive (and many times to stay relevant).
There you have it, marketers. When all is said, done and tweeted, we needn’t like a particular promotion, to learn from it. Now it’s your turn, tell me which lessons I missed or messed up… because we’ve always been about empowering all voices and viewpoints here.
PS: The one Susan Boyle video blows all of Kutcher’s videos out of the water. Want proof? She’s racked up over 20 40 million views. Within one week. What’s more? She didn’t have to plead or plaster a singular billboard, and I’d argue she’s even started a movement. How’s about them apples, King Kutcher?