Why is Elon Musk Investing in TWITTER?

He can buy ANYTHING. Go ANYWHERE. Be ANYONE. And yet? Mr Musk just invested in a social media platform for micro blogging and comment. WHY?




News just in: ELON MUSK has bought himself a nice 9.2% stake in TWITTER. In effect, therefore? The man now controls it. It is a curious move, in part because Musk was among the first to shun 'marketing' budgets, and with that, social media drives? 

That is not an uncommon tactic. Indeed, CITY MAPPER does not invest hugely in commercial communications, allowing, instead, customer word of mouth and quality of product, to do the work for them. That said, I would not necessarily be too hasty in joining that bandwagon. 

Every company needs marketing. Do not overdo it or present as something you are not. But equally, shunning such operations entirely is foolhardy, at best. You need those social media logos at the top and bottom of correspondence, same way an address /email/phone number complete the professional 'look'. 

Content is key and king in this. Regular clips, posts, pictures, articles. Worm your way into every hashtag going and then measure the metrics, shifting and shaping both strategy and tactics, accordingly. 



That brings us back to Mr. Musk. The man does not need publicity. His every incentive, comment, relationship, innovation: all covered, for him, by 'the media'. So let's just say he has not joined Twitter's reinvention as part of some publicity drive or reputational management scheme. 

But a few points are worth remembering, here:


  • The man ALWAYS had social media 'accounts'. Including Twitter! So to say that he had no interest in marketing, viral or otherwise? Nah. He's into it. Big time. 

  • Elon is an industrialist, a businessman. They BUY THINGS! Usually, it is because they see POTENTIAL. There might even be a brand in need of awakening, perhaps teetering on complacency? Buy shares at the right time and price and THEN turn the potential slump into a big boom with bells attached! Sell high, buy low. Bulls and Bears etc. 

  • SERVICE vs PRODUCT: A paradigm shift IS happening. Musk knows it because he made it happen. From social media platform to app development? You cannot 'just' be a product or service provider, in a 24/7 technological age. You MUST, somehow, be BOTH. 



  • Ergo: Twitter WILL be launching more PRODUCTS. I guarantee that. And Musk, in his wisdom, sees the pre existing platform as THE best place to mix, match and even merge his lines to theirs. Cross platform pollination. Bingo! 

  • IDEOLOGY: Musk likes FREE SPEECH. Twitter, it seemed, perhaps, did..not?? Notice that I phrase that as a question (non actionable). But there is a tide whereby algorithmic tools check and classify your content. Fine. Except meanwhile genuinely scary, stalky and seditious content has slipped through the net. Musk perhaps sees a genuine sense of mission in rebooting the Twitter-verse as a place of safe and free expression, whilst zeroing in on those who truly wish harm to freedom itself. 

  • And if it does not 'work'?  No problem. Like all innovators, Musk can just move along and buy something else to develop. Facebook? MySpace? Friends Reunited?! 
This is indeed a most interesting development. It does have a city relevance, too. A technological tool. A share purchase and business advance. Immediate impact on the markets and those entrusted with their management. 

So, in a way? YES. This Musk/Twitter axis is VERY Smart City relevant. Remember: as a fanatic on that topic? I see it. EVERYWHERE! 







Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#INFLUENCERDRIVE: Christel Holst-Sande Cowdrey .

Image
    #INFLUENCERDRIVE. Well, it’s the series with the biggest hits, so far. Which means, we are picking the biggest hitters, right? And one cannot really get much higher an achiever than an all-round polymath: She’s clever, intuitive, insightful, glamorous, ambitious and fascinating. Queen of Chelsea herself, Christel Holst-Sande Cowdrey. We were lucky enough to be able to pick the lady’s brains on a number of life enhancing topics. Here we go!           1: Plug your latest project(s). What are you up to and when can we see/hear about it etc? In February 2023, my second book, How to Fire Your Husband in Easy Steps (A Miraculous Divorce)   will be launched. Alongside, will be the book of steps and an online course. My first book Imagine A Healthy You went to international bestseller status, which was so exciting (and mind boggling), but then, the purpose of writing a book is to inspire and maybe help another in succeeding where there may be similar challenges.
Read more

#INFLUENCERDRIVE. Drusilla Harris talks music, teaching, dance, tech, aesthetics and inspiration.

Image
Here we go, as part of the influencer series on inspirational women.  DRUSILLA HARRIS: A name to watch. A talent to observe. A creative drive to learn from!  1:   Musician, composer, dancer, choreographer, teacher: rank those in order of enjoyment, priority and fulfilment. Also, how does one intersect with and drive the other?    The musician and the dancer developed together as a child. My parents were musicians and the whole family had to practice every day. I had weekly dance lessons - ballet from 3 and then tap and jazz as a teen- but I also used to find music to play and dance to as my number one leisure activity from as young as 5, when my Grandma gave me and my younger sister our first tiny little transistor radios.  We would get up early, go down to the basement, find the same station on each radio so it was louder and felt fuller, and dance away together before anyone else was up. We would always dress up for this. Basically, I danced every day of my life and still do. I just
Read more

What CityMapper, Blippar et al CAN'T quite do?

Image
 Or rather? Maybe they DO it. But those features are not yet flagged up or tailored enough.  We have been talking, at some considerable length, regarding the many features and advantages which define travel focused applications of late. And one cannot in any way diminish those strengths. However, it is equally important to note that there are a number of urban themes which pervade the travel experience and it is in THOSE areas where the NEXT big app will take off.  In no particular order, a non exhaustive list, as follows: 1: DISABILITY!   We assume, immediately, a visible or aesthetically obvious point. Wheelchairs and so on. But think of say, DYSPRAXIA? Visual impairment and all the many iterations of limitation on one's ability to be truly mobile. An app that guides them through EVERY step of a journey, beyond simple tips/directions? ESSENTIAL. And in its way? STILL not 'there', yet.  2: AGE!   It is a problem. Older population. They do not all have to decline, btw. Many
Read more