Twitter to offer advertisers direct branded messages

Twitter is planning to let advertisers target consumers with direct branded messages in a bid to generate new revenue streams.

The micro-blogging site will allow brands to automatically reply to users’ questions, such as “What treadmill should I buy?”, with discount vouchers and coupons, as well as e-commerce links, according to reports.

A Twitter investor told the New York Times that recommendations, e-commerce navigation and payments “will certainly play a role in Twitter monetisation”.

However, Twitter’s chief Evan Williams has since confirmed that the comments and proposals “are not in the least bit concrete plans of the company”.

Further speculation over Twitter’s commercial model comes after co-founder Biz Stone announced plans to launch a range of commercial tools later this year, aimed at assisting brands and businesses when using the site.

If the latest plans do go ahead, Twitter will need to make the branded automatic responses an opt-in service for users.