How Threads can empower brands with better engagement

It's not often that I look at download stats and find myself catching my breath—but the debut of Instagram's new Threads app has delivered such a moment. The figures are astounding but not nearly as compelling as the profound shift in zeitgeist that the app has ignited. Let's call it “The Great Re-Engagement,” a phenomenon pulsing with a rare vibe of optimism and a vision of possibilities that's reminiscent of the internet's early days.

For marketers, CMOs and everyone else recovering from Cannes, this is welcome news and grounds for cautious optimism. 

Threads, or Project 92 in its initial guise, was conceived with a simple intent: to rival Twitter. Instagram smartly pre-seeded the app with celebrities, brands and influencers, stimulating a lively culture of discussion. It’s also keen on maintaining Threads as a “friendly” zone by moderating misleading content and obscuring posts flagged by independent fact-checkers.

While the Twitter exodus that followed Elon Musk's takeover undeniably drove Threads' swift growth, the real story transcends Twitter's displacement. It's about the psychology propelling Threads, the collective yearning for something fresh and innocent. Indeed, this early launch already feels a bit cathartic—even redemptive.

Threads so far is resonating in part because of its digital déjà vu, evoking the initial excitement of Twitter, blogging and Facebook. It reminds us of a time when social media was a playground, not a battleground strewn with data privacy issues, cynicism, parental anxieties and manipulative actors. We were in it for the right reasons. Even the name “Threads” harks back to the interactive, feedback-fueled internet that purported to “listen to the consumer” versus spamming or manipulating them. 

Social media has long yearned for a revival. Amid a palpable slump and growing disillusionment, my own engagement had been reduced to an almost apologetic usage of the medium. But the astonishing influx of 50 million curious and engaged users at Threads’ (75 million by the time you read this) onset heralds a shift and certainly new hope for dissonance-free social media engagement. 

Yet, it's not all rosy. The thrill comes with a dash of trepidation, a frantic scramble to adapt and stay relevant. “First to know, first to tell” is an unwritten rule of the web, a rule Meta capitalized on by offering influencers early access during the beta phase. Like others, I'm eager to retain relevance and gather early-stage followers. But do we really crave more dopamine hits? And then there's the dual thrill and fatigue of navigating a new platform while maintaining a Twitter presence.

It’s also hard not to dread another social media door that starts with idealism and quickly gravitates to a “tragedy of the commons.” During my Nestlé years, I remember so well the zigzag between social media “change the world” romanticism to writing brand safety memos to the executive board proposing “ad pauses” on Facebook, Google and Twitter. Gary Vaynerchuck, a voice hardly timid about ads, urges caution against spamming and manipulation in an early Threads post. If he's sounding the alarm, we'd better listen. 

While Twitter's narrative around Threads takes center stage—including the lawsuit by Twitter's Elon Musk—the real story lies in the significant challenge that Threads poses to TikTok. Threads, as an offshoot of Instagram, has adeptly embraced the TikTok-style content trend in recent months, with Facebook strategically leveraging these advancements. 

My guidance for advertisers and CMOs? Threads is fresh canvas, a virgin territory where the rules of engagement can be shaped. Are we ready to interact more, to respond instead of just post, to ignite threads like “How can we be more sustainable?” As a former CMO, I'd gather my team and our motto would be “Let's get this right.”

How, for instance, can brands ignite real dialogue on the platform? At a time when every marketer is thinking about the power of AI or embedding brand “concierges” on their digital properties, can Threads become a leading platform for “listening and learning” from their consumers, or figuring out the likely “prompts.” From sustainability to even the right way to use Threads, brands need better feedback. 

Here I’ll repeat—for the hundredth time—that I think Facebook did brands a major disserve in the early years of its development by downplaying or under-resourcing brand pages. All the focus was on selling ads at scale, when in fact an equally valuable proposition was deepening loyalty and advocacy of your best fans.  

Threads might just present a unique opportunity to get back on track—or to find the right balance between listening, serving and selling. 

So, we're jumping in. Embracing the thrill, the uncertainty and the boundless potential of this new platform. Let’s check the numbers next week. Or in five minutes. After all, in the fast-paced world of social media, every second counts.