NIX Solutions reports: Twitter is Testing Branded Likes

Twitter is testing a new feature called Branded Likes that will help brands stand out in their news feed and increase the chances of a user sharing an ad hashtag. Branded Likes allows you to customize the Like button by replacing the traditional heart with your own animated icon.

Disney + streaming service was the first to try it out to promote Beyoncé’s new music-visual album, Black Is King. In three days, the tweet received over 125,000 likes.

To make the like “branded”, you need to create a hashtag and specify it as a trigger that starts the animation on click. In turn, the user can use this hashtag to decorate their own posts in a similar way. The function works in organic and promotional posts for 24 hours.

NASA and NBA are also participating in beta testing. The space agency used the original #CountdownToMars hashtag as an animated rocket to celebrate the launch of the Perseverance rover.

For now, Branded Likes is available to advertisers in the US and Japan as part of the First View product, which offers top-of-feed placement. The idea was developed by the in-house agency Twitter Arthouse, the company does not disclose the cost of a branded like, notes NIX Solutions.