American Express is on a journey of a digital transformation. As part of that journey, American Express is focused on creating new and innovative ways to utilize Twitter’s platform to deliver value and support to Card Members and merchants, strengthen their connection to the American Express brand, and drive commerce in industry-disrupting ways. This year American Express introduced a new technology on Twitter allowing its Card Members to shop with #hashtags; paid digital homage to its 163 year old history with the #AmexArchive series; celebrated its 163rd birthday with a virtual Twitter party; and augmented customer support via the @AskAmex Twitter handle.In 2011, American Express introduced a first-of-its-kind Card Sync technology, which allows Card Members to securely connect their cards to their social media accounts. In 2013, American Express evolved this unique technology to allow Card Members to tweet #hashtags to buy products on Twitter. The new social commerce experience unlocked the purchasing power of the #hashtag by tapping into American Express’ closed-loop business model and added value to both Card Members and merchants on Twitter. At launch in February, American Express Card Members that connected their Card with their Twitter account could tweet special #hashtags to buy specially-priced American Express Gift Cards and in-demand products like the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, Xbox 360, Sony Action Cam, and more. The program was one of the first to deliver on the promise Twitter commerce, offering a seamless solution that gave consumers more choice and flexibility for how to buy and merchants a new channel in which to reach new and existing customers. American Express also leveraged Twitter this year to create relevant connection points for Card Members and prospects that draw on the rich history of the brand. The #AmexArchive initiative told visually exciting stories of the brand’s heritage and values, leveraging an extensive bank of digitized archive content. The campaign resulted in never-before-seen levels of engagement around the world. On Twitter, engagement with archive posts lead to a 160% increase in retweets. Today, the average #AmexArchive post on Twitter receives thousands of engagements and meaningful stories in return from Card Members excited to share their own American Express experiences. For its 163rd birthday, American Express celebrated with a virtual Twitter party, using the hashtag #163Candles. American Express created and shared personalized images of birthday cake with fans’ and followers’ names to those who wished the brand a “Happy Birthday" or tweeted with the #163Candles hashtag. The campaign resulted in nearly 6M impressions on Twitter and more than 500 mentions of @AmericanExpress in the six hours of the “party." Known for its best-in-class customer service, American Express looked for new ways to nurture member connections on Twitter. The member support Twitter handle @AskAmex – operated by a team of customer support gurus dedicated specifically to responding to inquiries received via Twitter – grew its follwership by nearly 50% in 2013, and is lauded by industry leaders as one of the most responsive and effective customer support systems on Twitter. As Twitter continues to grow and evolve as a platform, American Express will continue to leverage and re-imagine its own technologies and assets to connect with Card Members in new ways that enrich their Card Membership. Building on the success of 2013, American Express is focused on driving engagement on Twitter and delivering streamlined experiences to its Card Members and merchants that are intuitive, secure, and add value at critical commerce touch-points on the platform.
American Express on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmericanExpress American Express Offers on Twitter: https://twitter.com/AmericanExpress/favorites American Express Card Member Support on Twitter (US): https://twitter.com/AskAmex American Express Sync: https://sync.americanexpress.com/ Fast Company: “#Sold: Twitter, American Express Partner For Hashtag Purchase" February 11, 2013; http://www.fastcompany.com/3005721/sold-twitter-american-express-partner-hashtag-purchaseshttp://techcrunch.com/2013/10/08/amex-and-tripadvisor-team-up-to-allow-card-members-to-get-credit-for-travel-reviews-and-acces s-spend-data/ WSJ Digits: “Twitter, Amex to Collaborate on E-Commerce Sales on Twitter" February 11, 2013; http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2013/02/11/twitter-amex-to-collaborate-on-e-commerce-sales-on-twitter/ AdAge: “Which Brands 'Get' Social Media? Amex, Audi, Griffin's, Say Facebook, Twitter Execs" March 14, 2013; http://adage.com/article/special-report-4as-conference/social-media-facebook-twitter-execs-tout-top-brands/240329/ AdWeek: “AmEx's Social Data Shows That Nostalgia Is Just Swell" October 11, 2013; http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/amexs-social-data-shows-nostalgia-just-swell-153053
