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Twitter India kicks off #GoLive bootcamps
MUMBAI: Twitter has expanded its Indian outreach to empower agencies and brands it works with to capitalize on live, always-on moments and video innovation through the platform. The outreach program in India is anchored by a three-prong strategy: gamified learning through DIY postcards, new deep dive courses for its Flight School online education programme, and a new series of multi-city #GoLive agency bootcamps.
“The digital space moves at lightning speed, change is the only constant. Agencies know of Twitter, but not many know how best to leverage our latest tools in a way that adds value for their clients. To help increase the understanding as our platform and the industry evolves, we are working to engage more with marketers around the world so that they and their clients can use Twitter more effectively to reach and engage with target customers,” says Simon Brockman, Head of Agency Development, APAC & MENA, Twitter.
Gamified learning going back to basics
Twitter India will send weekly ‘Did You Know’ cards to agencies over a six week period, to help agencies in achieving their marketing goals through gamified learning. These ‘Did You Know’ cards will contain interesting facts and trivia about Twitter’s advertising solutions, share best practices on how to target and build an audience on the platform, and deliver research insights to agency representatives. On the corresponding Friday, there will be trivia quiz hosted from @TwitterAdsIN open to employees of participating agencies to test that week’s knowledge.
New modules available to agencies and brand marketers globally
For marketers seeking to advance their digital prowess, Twitter Flight School serves as the go-to resource for agencies and brand marketers to stay on top of the latest innovations on the platform and ideas to maximize campaign results. More than 7,900 representatives from brands and agencies in the region has registered for the free online education program so far. Within a week in India, nearly 600 agency representatives have signed up for the program.
Twitter has added new deep dive modules to Flight School that support marketers who are keen on leveraging premium content advertising from top broadcasters, sports leagues, and content creators. Marketers can explore content partnerships with Twitter Amplify, scale optimisation with Twitter Ads, and maximize TV campaign results with Twitter integration. Upcoming modules include the latest video on Twitter and direct response features, key drivers of engagement for advertisers on Twitter.
Twitter kicks off #GoLive agency bootcamps in Asia
Finally, Twitter kicks off a series of #GoLive agency bootcamps across Asia, including India, this August. The bootcamps are half day learning sessions for agencies comprising of intensive training workshops aimed at bringing together Twitter experts from marketing, research, product, and brand strategy to facilitate best practice sharing.The the first round of bootcamps will be conducted for some of the key agency partners including GroupM, Omnicom Media Group & Publicis Media. Later in the year, the program will be scaled to include some of the other agency groups too.
More than 20 of these training sessions will be held with agencies across India, Indonesia, Philippines and Singapore between August and September.
Here are some perspectives from the agencies:
“At MEC India, to perpetually be in beta mode is a philosophy we aspire to. With so much going on around us, we place a big premium on staying updated. We find Twitter’s Flight School and agency outreach programme very valuable towards that end,” Gangs T Gangadhar, Managing Director of MEC South Asia.
“Digital is developing at a rapid speed and we want to maximise this moment for our clients in real-time. The #GoLive training sessions and Flight School from Twitter ensure that we are topping the digital game, aligned to the needs of our teams, while helping us elevate as a Group.” – Gregory Fortune, Head of Trading, Southeast Asia, Publicis Groupe
“The age of “Precision and Addressability” has arrived and as agency leaders, we need to be at the forefront to best advise our clients on their brand strategies and campaigns in this fast changing Digital landscape. I am excited to see Twitter making the effort to help upgrade agency skills with Twitter Flight School and the agency bootcamp. We look forward to closer collaboration with Twitter to take our agency to greater heights,” Yasir Riaz, Managing Director of Starcom Indonesia.
eNews
OpenAI researcher Zoe Hitzig resigns over ChatGPT ad plans
Zoe Hitzig says an ad-driven model could put user privacy and AI integrity at risk.
CALIFORNIA: OpenAI researcher Zoe Hitzig has resigned from the company, citing concerns about the introduction of advertising in ChatGPT. Hitzig, who spent two years working on AI development and governance, announced her departure in a guest essay for The New York Times, just as the company began testing ads.
Hitzig’s main concern is not the presence of ads itself, but the long-term financial pressure they could create. While OpenAI maintains that ads will be clearly labelled and will not influence the AI’s responses, she argues that dependence on ad revenue can eventually change how a company operates.
She also expressed concern about the vast amount of sensitive data OpenAI holds, questioning whether the company can resist the tidal forces that push businesses to monetise private information.
“I resigned from OpenAI on Monday. The same day, they started testing ads in ChatGPT. OpenAI has the most detailed record of private human thought ever assembled. Can we trust them to resist the tidal forces pushing them to abuse it?” she wrote in a post on X.
Her warning points to a growing tension between business priorities and ethical responsibility, raising the question of whether a company can deliver objective AI responses while also keeping advertisers happy. It also underscores concerns around data privacy, as OpenAI handles vast amounts of personal information, creating risks that go beyond those faced by earlier tech platforms. At the same time, there are fears about future integrity, with financial pressures potentially pushing AI systems to favour engagement over accuracy or safety.
As ChatGPT moves from a purely subscription-based model toward a more commercial approach, the industry is watching closely. For Hitzig, the shift represents a fundamental change in OpenAI’s mission, raising concerns that the drive for profit could eventually compromise the integrity of the technology.
