Twitter Canada makes its official debut

Twitter Inc.’s Canadian office is officially open for business after a month of behind the scenes media deals and new employee hires.

Twitter Canada’s new managing director Kirstine Stewart admits that the microblogging service’s north-of-the-border branch is “still unpacking boxes,� but she’s been happy to hit the ground running.

“When the announcement becomes front page news, there’s obviously a lot of pent-up demand,� Ms. Stewart said in an interview following Twitter Canada’s official launch in Toronto on Thursday afternoon. “If our job is to serve Canadians better, then we better get going.�

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Similar to Facebook Inc.’s Canadian expansion, Twitter’s Canadian presence will deal primarily with advertising and sales. However, Ms. Stewart wants her office to be more than that – a place where partnerships between advertisers, content producers and brands will help create new experiences for users.

“Setting up a business that’s primarily advertising and revenue driven, you still need to understand content, and you still need to understand information and who you’re serving,� she explained. “So there’s a lot more that goes into that than what it can seem from the outside.�

Does that mean Twitter Canada could eventually delve into research and development, much like Google Inc.’s Canadian engineering talent? Ms. Stewart would only say that her office will expand “slowly.�

In the month since Ms. Stewart left her former job, Twitter Canada has added ten employees, and inked high-profile marketing and advertising partnerships with both Shaw Media and Bell Media.

Thursday’s industry launch focused further along those lines, with a mix of advertising, marketing and media-types in attendance hailing everywhere from the National Hockey League Players’ Association to full-service ad agency Publicis.

The event also re-introduced Twitter Amplify – which has already launched in the U.S. – to a Canadian audience, and is intended to help broadcasters augment their television programming on Twitter with embedded streaming video clips, Promoted Tweets and other content relevant delivered to a viewer’s computer or mobile device.

There are, of course, ways in which U.S. and Canadian tastes differ. Ms. Stewart points out from experience that, although Americans and Canadians watch similar programming, our top ten lists differ – and, in spite of a dearth of research, she intends to find out why.

“There are inherent differences, cultural differences, as to how Canadians engage with content,� she said, “and I think our opportunity in being here is now we can actually explore that and learn together.�

Article source: http://www.canada.com/Twitter+Canada+makes+official+debut/8527526/story.html