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Interesting story in today's The Wrap about Twitter's impact on box office. In a story titled "Studios Wrestle with B.O. Twitter Effect," editor Sharon Waxman, a tenacious reporter and excellent writer, notes that Friday is fast become the make-it-or-break-it day because of the "near-instantaneous word of mouth effect" made possible by Twitter and other social-networking sites, which let people communicate fast and en masse. Waxman notes that "the burgeoning popularity of Twitter has created an exponential effect ... that one marketing expert termed 'marketing velocity.'" And this "marketing velocity," Waxman writes, can have a devastating effect on movies that opening-day audiences don't like. She quotes consultant Gordon Paddison as saying, “If you’re tweeting and people are catching that live and they’re out at drinks and were planning on seeing the movie tomorrow -- that hurts."

 

For Waxman's full story on The Wrap, click here.

 

I wonder if the Twitter Effect will have an impact on new DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases, as well. Just imagine, early Tuesday morning, the first buyers of the hit-of-the-week tweet their 140-character reviews to their legions of loyal followers, and by the next day sales are either through the roof or dead. It's somewhat scary, somewhat promising, a high-takes crap shoot, if you will. I wonder if studios will start hiring Tuesday tweeters to blast positive things about their new releases. That's an interesting concept, a whole new marketing scheme....

 

All right, enough for now. All this talk of Twitter--well, it just makes me want to tweet. So I will.

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