Biz Stone doesn’t hate advertising. He merely finds the more crass forms of commercialization off putting.
The idea of taking money to run traditional banner ads on Twitter.com has always been low on our list of interesting ways to generate revenue. However, facilitating connections between businesses and individuals in meaningful and relevant ways is compelling. We’re going to leave the door open for exploration in this area.
Do we hate advertising? Of course not. It’s a huge industry filled with creativity and inspiration. There’s also room for new innovation in advertising, marketing, and public relations and Twitter is already part of that. In fact, next month I’ll be attending and speaking at the 56th annual international advertising festival, Cannes Lions 2009. I’ll let you know how it goes.
It must be nice to have Stone’s hand–to be able to choose between “interesting” and non-interesting paths to the money. Of course, the problem with “interesting” is what’s interesting to one, is often anathema to another. American Idol, for instance.
