Shakespeare famously said, “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet”. But, is a brand by any other name the same thing? Yesterday, the NY Post reported on the emerging phenomenon of Twitter handle advisors—individuals whose job it is to connect brands and companies with the owners of coveted, usually short or one word Twitter handles. These individuals work with the owners of the handles (read: offer cash and perks) to secure these desirable monikers for brands. One example? When JP Morgan started building an online social presence for Chase bank, they hired a coveted Twitter Handle Advisor to help transition the ownership of @Chase from the original owner to the bank with the same name.
With over 500 million users, it’s become imperative for brands to have a Twitter handle that’s easy to remember and distinguishable from the multitude of copycats and look-a-likes out there. This in part helps explain the rise of these social media “fixers”. While this service is definitely on the rise, it’s important to note that this practice is actually in violation of Twitter’s TOS. Technically speaking, users are forbidden from buying or selling Twitter handles, which puts this sort of behavior into a grey area.
So, what’s a brand to do if they find that someone is sitting on their brands handle? Before they run off to a Twitter handle advisor and shell out cash, we recommend that they work directly with Twitter to see what can be done. Many times, brands are covered by trademark protection and Twitter actively works with brands to ensure compliance with trademark law. You can report any violation or abuse of trademarks by filling out Twitter’s form here.
Additionally, when it comes to Twitter handles, a little preparation can go a long way. When planning campaigns, re-brands, product launches etc., we definitely recommend that brands try and claim any potential handles well in advance of launching a new channel. Netflix’s doomed spin-off Qwikster was a victim of poor foresight when they failed to lock up the @Qwikster handle prior to their launch. This in turn led all mentions of @Qwikster to Jason Castillo—a Twitter user who’s avatar featured a pot smoking Elmo.
As Twitter quickly becomes ubiquitous with large brands and celebrities, the land grab for Twitter handles will only continue to grow. With a little preparation and research, some of the naming headaches can be avoided, and if not, there’s always Twitter support to the rescue.
-Franklin DeFelice, Senior Communications Manager at Deep Focus
Twitter: @fdefelice