Two mego goliaths of tech blogging world last night, Mashable and Techcrunch, released a branded version of popular Twitter client Tweetdeck. Basically the only “feature” added is the automatic column dedicated to either Mashable official Twitter account + writers and vice versa. This is a great way for Techcrunch and Mashable to build brand loyalty. If we look past Techcrunch and Mashable though and focus exclusively on why Tweetdeck would do this I think we can see some clear signs of the future for Tweetdeck revenue wise.
Meebo, the popular web IM client has seen great bouts of success from branding their product. Whether it be simply letting users change the background to their favorite artist or completely turning the Meebo homepage into the product they are sponsoring. This is not uncommon amongst other web properties, Myspace regularly brands their homepage and at times Youtube does also. These have all been met with relative success and can lead to a significant amount of revenue. So wouldn’t it make sense for desktop applications to jump on this train also? I believe this is where Tweetdeck wants to eventually head, and would be a smart move on their part. Simply adding the ability to “skin” your Tweetdeck from your favorite sponsored web property would add a level of customization for users and lead to great returns for advertisers. A win-win for everyone involved.
Now I believe it is safe to assume that Tweetdeck didn’t charge Techcrunch and Mashable, this was simply a good marketing scheme for both parties. But this does give Tweetdeck a way to measure success rates with these branded versions of Tweetdecks and determine whether or not they should continue. So far, there seem to be a lot of people into the idea and are willing to support their favorite blogging property even if the “feature” added isn’t a feature at all.
What do you think? Could this be Tweetdeck’s new business model? Let your thoughts be known in the comments.
P.S. Mashable and Techcrunch branded versions.
