Flirtweet

  

In other news, I've recently started a company. Well, I guess I haven't officially incorporated anything yet but that might not be too far away . . . I guess you could say that I've started the process of creating a brand. Last night I went onto the USPTO website and filed a trademark application for the following word:

Flirtweet

Actually, I shouldn't be taking all the credit for this because the concept and idea of Flirtweet has been bounced off of several friends, family members, and former B-school classmates already . . . in fact, a discussion with the latter group of folks last night is what prompted me to go ahead and attempt to secure the trademark.

Does the Flirtweet brand have any specific meanings attached to it yet? Nope. Do we have ideas? You betcha! Some of the potential meanings: witty, naughty, original, intimate, pressure, love, sex(y), safe, less risky, saving face, voyeuristic . . . and many more.

We envision the foundation of Flirtweet as an online community platform that will provide both content we create, as well as a hearty supply of user-generated content. What that content will be remains to be determined (if only we could nail down those darned brand meanings!) but what we do know is that it will revolve around flirting, dating, relationships, love, sex, and intimacy . . . and how it is driven by, influenced, facilitated, and intensified through social media . . . curious yet?


Are we going to educate people on how to flirt online? Maybe . . . but probably not. Are we going to offer information, media, and opinions on all things related to flirting and romantic interactions that are occuring through social media . . . might be getting warmer . . . once we have our brand meanings locked down, we'll start thinking (as well as soliciting and generating) content and from there, we'll move forward.

Are we going to have a mobile app? Yesh . . . I mean, yeppers . . . but do we go with something for the iPhone along the lines of this or do we work with the Android? . . . we're thinking the 'Droid.


A brief competitive analysis finds that someone on Twitter attempted to call out the concept of Flirtweeting but their activity, as well as that seen on their blog appears to be a little lackluster . . .

What's also good to see is that a quick search reveals how people are using social media to share their romantic lives with others. Even celebrities are getting into it! (well, if Alyssa Milano still counts as a celebrity) . . . in fact, it's clear from this that Alyssa and her hubby aren't the only celebs getting into the mix.

The bottom line is that social media has completely transformed the way people interact on a romantic level. Can you imagine what flirting, dating, and relationships would be like today without Match.com, Facebook, Twitter, eHarmony, or any other number of social media services? Is this is a phenomenon that people are aware of? Of course. Have numerous academics, media folk, and other educated people written, debated, and discussed it? Absolutely! But is there a brand that defines, captures, and promotes this phenomenon? Nope. To that end, we want to be clear right out of the gate and say that we're thinking bigger than Twitter and hoping to capture things in this vein that are happening throughout the social media world.

In closing, look for me to be sporting a white cotton T-shirt with the Flirtweet logo on it before the week is out; there's nothing like the power of guerilla marketing to get the buzz going. After all, if these two girls can make money with something like Flirtexting, we're going to do just fine. That being said, it's clear from this that not everyone has been impressed with their work. And lastly, if you check out this interview with the Flirtexting ladies, it's clear that if someone with their intelligence level is aware of flirting in other social media outlets, it won't be long before someone brands this behavior and makes a whole lot of money doing it . . . I've got a feeling that someone is going to be us :)