Gen Y’s Challenge for Twitter and Company X

I spent a little more time thinking about online coupons, and I wanted to throw out this challenge to the corporate world. Every year, someone hands out a coupon seemingly for nothing. Free slurpee. Free chicken. Free taco.

So why not this promotion: Why would Twitter not partner with a major national brand, and have every person who adds that brand’s Twitter in a certain day (or even hour) get a free xxxxx?

I’m going to use Taco Bell, since they are one of those “left-of-center”, free thinking brands. And, their brand is driven by innovation in their food, so an active Twitter with a large fan-base would help them communicate their new products. (Also, the cost of a taco is not a huge write-off for Taco Bell. If half the people who get the free taco also order a fountain soda, they’ve made money on the deal.)

Let’s just say that Twitter announces on Follow Friday that every person who is following The Taco Bell Twitter at the end of the day will receive a code good for (1) free taco.

This would be the most retweeted item in the history of retweeting. Every single Twitter User would have #follow friday: @tacobell on their feed.

And, Taco Bell could drive users to Twitter. On the Taco Bell page, and in special media ads, Taco Bell could mention the promo. Anyone who wanted to get a free taco would need to create a Twitter.

Now, please tell me why this hasn’t happened. And, why I suddenly crave a Volcano taco…