Twitter-Based Agency Off to a Rough Start

A new U.K.-based startup agency, dubbed Twitter Partners, wants to help brands manage their Twitter profiles and reputations more effectively on the social network. But the firm has had an inauspicious start, beginning with an erroneous report stating Twitter is a supporter and investor.

It is not, Twitter founder Biz Stone spelled out today on the company's blog. Stone went on to suggest Twitter Partners and its founder, investor and entrepreneur Peter Read, would be asked to change the agency's identity to reflect that fact.

"We have spoken with these folks in person and we wish them well as they endeavor to add value to the ecosystem that is growing around Twitter," Stone wrote. "However, the name, branding, and suggestion that Twitter has some kind of equity partnership or an agreement of any kind in place is misleading and wrong. We'll be working with Peter and his team to clear up this confusion."

According to its site, Twitter Partners will offer services including buzz monitoring, reputation management, CRM, virtual focus groups, crisis management, and social media marketing. Launch clients include major brands such as Universal Pictures, Warner Music Group, U.K. ISP Virgin Media, and Paramount Pictures.

Twitter Partners yesterday clarified it is not backed by the micro-blogging service upon which it hopes to build a business. A notice posted today on the agency's Twitter account reads, "We are Twitter enthusiasts committed to building valuable apps and campaigns on top of Twitter. We are not, however, formally affiliated."

The agency has attracted a high-profile set of advisors and "consultancy partners," including Lastminute.com founders Brent Hoberman and Martha Lane Fox, Last.fm founder Stefan Glaenzer, Lovefilm co-founder Saul Klein, former Sky online marketing director Scott Gallacher, and former Yahoo VP Toby Coppel. The firm's site also boasts support from twelve agency partners, including Unanimis, Techlightenment, and Razorfish.

Twitter's user base has grown exponentially over the past year, prompting debate over how the social network could attempt to monetize that traffic. Observers have suggested that contextual ads, premium account options, or buzz-monitoring tools for brands could all provide viable revenue opportunities.

Twitter Partners is by no means the first attempt by a third party to cash in on the service's growing user base. Magpie, for example, enables users to effectively sell their "tweets" to advertisers. TwitterJobSearch.com, which launched last month, also hopes to piggyback the success of the social network by aggregating job listings posted to it.

Twitter itself announced its first association with an advertiser last month, plugging a Microsoft-sponsored ExecTweets site, which was developed by social media and ad firm Federated Media.