Celebrity ReTweets 30-25

Towards the end of March, I decided to send a retweet request to one random celebrity (or brand) each day for 30 days.  Unlike Facebook, Twitter allows everyday people the opportunity to interact with their favorite celebrities.  Celebrities can retweet, or share, humorous musings or calls to action from their followers.  Getting retweeted by a celebrity is considered the technological equivalent of a passing conversation on the street.

Retweets can also go very badly.  Ask Spike Lee.

I've detailed the first five of my 30 retweet requests below.

Thursday, March 29th. @RealJayWilliams

Jason Williams was one of the most talented Duke Blue Devils to ever play point guard.  An All-American and National Champion, he's best remembered for leading an unfathomable comeback against Maryland in 2001.  A motorcycle accident after college derailed his NBA career before it even started but Jason has found steady work covering college basketball for ESPN. 

My tweet: Can I get a RT to gain some followers? Your studio skills are making folks forget about your court skills!

Response time: Within 2 hours

Added comments: None

I was really stoked after this retweet!  This is going to be easy!

Friday, March 30th. @DocGooden16

Dwight Gooden was a rising star for the New York Mets in the 1980's before drugs and alcohol brought him back down to Earth.  But before his fall, Dr. K was the best and I wanted to reach out to him.

My tweet: Wishing you the best today! I'm a big fan of yours and 80's baseball. Can I get an RT?

Response Time: No response given

Why I think he didn't respond: Doc's not the most active Tweeter.  I don't imagine that he's savvy enough to know when he receives a mention on Twitter either.  This was actually a long shot, but at least I tried.

Saturday, March 31st. @JakeTrout

Peter Jacobsen is known for being a decent PGA Tour Player in his day but probably more identified as a great TV analyst these days.  He still plays on the Champions Tour and because of his popularlity and persona, he is endorsed by several top-shelf golf companies.  Srixon features Peter in their TV ads for their Q-Star ball, a ball geared toward amateur players.  After seeing this ad during a commercial break while watching a tournament, I decided to seek a retweet from Jake Trout.

My tweet: I'll run out right now and buy 2 dozen Q Stars if I can get a RT from you Jake!

Response Time: within 1 minute

Added comments: none

I was totally shocked at this quick response.  Spoiler alert - I did not go buy the golf balls.  I hate not keeping my word.  Maybe I'll buy some this summer. Peter is a new favorite of mine.

Sunday, April 1st. @Gatorade

I was not feeling particularly well on this date.  In an attempt to flush a virus from my body, I drank copeous amounts of this sugary, syrupy crap.  I thought that I could get a retweet for my efforts.

My tweet: Can I get an RT for drinking 128 ozs of @Gatorade today? #hydrate

Response Time: No response given

Why I think I got no response: As a brand, Gatorade really doesn't give out too many RTs unless you're some sappy runner who gives praise to Gatorade for providing the enzymes needed to complete a double marathon. Or they probably didn't believe that I really drank that much of their terrible product.

Monday, April 2nd. @MoesBBQBham

Moes BBQ in Birmingham serves the best BBQ'd meat in the area.  This is not a fib.  That's saying a lot considering that there's a BBQ joint on every corner here.  As a brand, they do a great job of communicating via Twitter.

My Tweet: Can I get an RT for convincing my friends that @MoesBBQBham is the best BBQ in Bham??!

Response Time: Within 1 hour.

Additional comments: "yes thanks!"

I may have sucked up to get this response, but it worked. It's true what I said - most of my friends are now convinced about Moe's BBQ.

I'll post the next 5 attempts at a celebrity retweet soon! Thanks for reading!