Habitat back on Twitter after controversial start

Habitat has returned to Twitter three months after it pulled its account following widespread criticism for using the site to spam the community.

Habitat on Twitter
Habitat on Twitter

The furniture retailer came under fire in June for using hash tags to spam trending topics, such as the Iran war and a new iPhone launch, with marketing messages and money off deals (nma 23 June 2009). At the time Habitat labelled the spam campaign as a mistake which was carried out by an “over-enthusiastic intern”.

Habitat returned to Twitter yesterday with the message, “We’re back. Sorry it took so long. This time we want to get it right, tell us what you want to hear from us and we’ll mark suggestions in our favourites.”

A Habitat spokesman said, “Since reactivating the account, there’s been a really positive response from the Twitter community, so we’ve learnt that it’s clear consumers genuinely want to hear from brands they’re interested in, as long as the information is relevant. It’s also clear that you have to engage with a community on their own terms.”

“A lot of the feedback has made us fully aware of the importance of interactive digital marketing. It’s a continual learning process, and it’s key to remain humble and appreciative of the audience,” he said.

This story first appeared on newmediaage.co.uk

 

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