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This month we held Tech@Tuck – the crowning jewel event in our year long Britt Technology Impact Series. My colleague and I decided to add a bit more digital excitement to the event. SInce our subject matter this year is the internet of things, it seemed logical (and exciting) to build a giveaway around wearables and connected tech. The idea was simple: relevant tweets by unique Tuck MBA twitter handles with the hashtag #TechTuck14 posted between 11am – 6pm on the day of Tech@Tuck would score. The rules and the point system were also simple:

• 0.5pt  = Each Relevant Tweet w/ Hashtag
• 1.0pt  = Each Relevant Tweet w/ Hashtag and @CenterDigital
• 2.0pt  = Each Relevant Tweet w/ Hashtag and Pic

A lot of preparation was put into the launch of this challenge including the amount of reading and research I put in to running a successful twitter sweepstakes. The title of the giveaway came easily, “Tech@Tuck Tweet for Tech Challenge” and we secured over $500 worth of gear to giveaway: a fitbit, an aria smart scale, a jawbone and a jambox. Promoting the event was another story however. It’s micro-marketing here, aimed at just over 500 very busy current Tuck MBA students. So here’s what we did:

• Included the hashtag on the Tech@Tuck event posters which went up 10 days before our event
• Launched a video teaser showcasing the gear 5 days before Tech@Tuck on to Chatter (our private social network) and via email
• Designed, printed and stuffed 500+ mailboxes with Tech@Tuck information and the twitter challenge rules 24 hours before Tech@Tuck event
• Placed banners on tuckstreams and visix 24 hours before Tech@Tuck
• Plastered posters around campus with the rules and pics of the gear the day of Tech@Tuck
• Featured the challenge during the vendor fair at Tech@Tuck

The tweets trickled in during the vendor fair, and I was nervous that we hadn’t generated enough excitement. But during the panel, I watched our iPad with joy as relevant tweet after relevant tweet poured in. I’m always impressed by the wit, speed and tenacity of Tuck students; their posts were fast and sharp and insightful. They quoted our panelists from Time Warner Cable, EnergyHub and iControl Networks and shared some rather profound perspectives. In the end, our challenge generated over 430 tweets by over 15 twitter handles. Social media is simply another communication channel but it remains word-of-mouth on steroids. The art of social media is determining which tool or tools are appropriate for which audiences and which messages resonate. Do I call this challenge a success? While my goal of 20% of the MBA audience tweeting wasn’t reached, I believe the amount of valuable tweets, the lessons we learned about running a successful campaign and the four very happy winners deem it a success, yes!