While Mercedes-Benz last year ran a Twitter "race" offline, T-Mobile's employing a similar idea but keeping it digital. The telecom launched a contest yesterday that challenges Twitter users to tweet as much as possible with a "#4GTweets" hashtag.
Promoted Tweets, Sponsored Stories ads on Facebook, and a Klout partnership involving 2,500 influencers are supporting the Twitter-based effort. Andrew Vitellaro, senior social media manager at T-Mobile, characterized the initiative as a way to seed the brand's desired new image, where consumers believe strongly in its wireless 4G network. Vitellaro said rebranding is a key 2012 focus for his company, as paid media will be ramped up later this year.
