TOUCHDOWN: KUTCHER WINS THE SHOWDOWN IN TWEET-DOWN

Veritas Team Huddle Compiled By Karl Baldauf

When famed heart-throb of yesteryear, Ashton Kutcher (Mr. Demi Moore), challenged CNN to become the first Twitter profile with one million followers last week, he proved he was more than just a pretty face. On Friday, he won the competition and was interviewed by Larry King, Oprah, and on countless other programs as a social media guru. The Veritas team overwhelming voted to grant Mr. Moore a Touchdown, and cited lessons that many of us non-B-List celebrities can take away from the showdown in Tweet-town. Though largely out of the acting fray for a few years, Kutcher recognized an opportunity and executed a multi-faceted marketing communications campaign (frankly, his billboard advertisements kept on getting all up in my Facebook). In order to sideline criticism that this exercise was merely shameless self-promotion, Kutcher used the race to do some social good; he brought awareness to Malaria No More and brought celebrities on board with donations. Even as critics will argue that the race was meaningless, he effectively showed how social media can be used as a fundraising tool. Kutcher has also established himself as a leader of Web 2.0. In his interview on "Larry King Live", he effectively conveyed himself as a public figure who is excited about new media and the possibilities it holds for alternative broadcasting, proving to the world that in our digital age the leaders are creating themselves. Closer to home, we see politicians increasingly “Tweeting” on their own behalf, demonstrating an authenticity that otherwise cynical citizens appreciate. Ultimately, Kutcher made a fantastic third-party endorsement for Twitter as they build their brand-value. For those of us that thought he was no different than his character on “That 70’s Show”, it appears we’ve been punked.