Twitter’s latest push to monetize its service has led to the rollout of a new “Twitter Ads” button, which is now prominently appearing on user profile pages on both the iOS and Android client applications. The newly added button, which some users may have initially mistaken as a shortcut to Twitter analytics, is found right next to the “Edit profile” button, the account switcher and the Settings icon. By clicking on the Ads button, users are offered the ability to manage their Twitter ad campaigns while on the go.
Not everyone is happy with the change, which some Twitter users are calling “desperate,” or “ugly.” And it’s hard to find fault with those sentiments. If you’re not currently running a Twitter ad campaign, the feature does nothing more than let you know that this button serves as a place where you can manage an ad campaign in the future – it doesn’t go so far as to allow users to actually get started building their first campaign from the app itself.
The twitter ads button is so ugly get it off pic.twitter.com/89sdtdN6Bf
— Jenna • 73 (@harryskeeper) July 2, 2015
Ohh a new shiny button! Twitter Ads have gone fully mobile. #smsports pic.twitter.com/yPqXV0dOjV
— Eric DeSalvo (@EricDeSalvo) July 1, 2015
That’s a different tactic–and perhaps a more overzealous one–than the one Facebook took when it introduced a way to manage Facebook ads via smartphones earlier this year. The company launched a dedicated Facebook Ads Manager App which not only allowed current advertisers to track the way their ad campaigns were performing, but actually brought the creation process itself to mobile phones. Here, users could write ad text, upload photos, and even target their desired audience right from the app itself.
Twitter, of course, may not be in the position of needing a dedicated app for ad management at this point, but it seems that if it’s going to dedicate this large a portion of its user interface to Twitter Ads in an attempt to increase revenue, it would be smart to allow users to craft Twitter ad campaigns from the mobile app directly. (Hopefully, Twitter is at least considering making that possible in a future release, if the button sticks around.)
It’s unclear at this time what portion of the Twitter user base is seeing the new Ads button, as Twitter has not officially announced the addition. However, both the iOS and Android app were recently updated on their respective app stores. (Update: we understand that the feature is currently being tested in beta.)
This would not be the first time Twitter tried making Twitter Ads a more prominent part of the app’s user experience. Earlier, people saw the feature included in the list that appears when you tap the Settings option. At the time, it was showing up right above the options for Lists, Drafts, and Help.
Having a “Twitter Ads” button above Lists and Drafts not only seems desperate but disregards the user experience. pic.twitter.com/sDTrakPftc
— James Gobert (@MrGobert) June 24, 2015
Comment