JKR

You might have noticed that Twitter celebrated its birthday yesterday. Six years on, a little tweet has grown a lot louder. These propaganda-inspired posters brilliantly express the weight the brand’s voice can now command.

While on the surface, using a poster originally designed to deliver a message about war to say something about social media seems a little far-fetched, there will be many brand managers who can fully relate to the metaphor.

With 500 million users able to pass comment in an instant, brands have to mind their every move. We see ever more examples of brands revising strategies and reversing decisions because they’ve been met by revolt online. Gap’s aborted logo change and Wispa Gold’s resurrection are two classic cases in point.

There’s no question that Twitter’s first six years have given more power to the people. But will the next six see brands wrestle some back? Social media demands that brands are open, transparent and responsive, but we do also like them to be confident about where they’re going. After all, that’s what makes us Follow.