PFAFF Tweet Race: virtual race, really good

Here’s another clever use of Twitter by a brand. This time its for an auto dealer, Pfaff Auto in Ontario, Canada. They have announced a ‘Tweet Race‘. Here’s how it works: Starting August 27th, 2012 the first 10 people to get 2,500 new Twitter followers will win a key. One of those keys will unlock the door of a new Audi A4 with a free tuning package and a one-year lease.

Given the attractiveness of the prize, its natural for people to do boost their Twitter activity to gain new followers. The terms laid out are strict and elaborate yet the contest is fun and easy to participate. What’s more, the concept of a race has a fit with the category.

Agency: Lowe Roche

Usually pushy, in-your-face requests to follow are not welcome on Twitter, especially from brands. Brands indulge in all kinds of tactics to increase follower count – from tagging people randomly to promoting hashtags. The Tweet Race is ‘in your face’ in terms of assigning a new fan count number (forcing you to increase your Twitter activity) – yet it is not desperately seeking followers for itself (unlike the direct ‘Like this” kind of posts brands indulge in on Facebook). That’s why it works?