Apple's Attempt to Replicate Viral Twitter Game Falls Short

Apple Tries Out the 'Choose Your Own Adventure' Twitter Thread Format

This article discusses Apple's attempt to replicate the viral success of a 'choose your own adventure' Twitter game, originally created by Landon Rivera, which gained significant traction by allowing users to navigate a narrative as Beyoncé's assistant. The original game was praised for its length, complexity, multi-branched paths, and humor, leading to widespread engagement and imitation.

The Original Viral Sensation: Beyoncé's Assistant Game

Landon Rivera, a 19-year-old student, created a Twitter thread that simulated a day in the life of Beyoncé's assistant. Users were presented with multiple-choice questions in the replies, and their selections determined the progression of the narrative. A wrong choice could lead to immediate firing, while correct choices allowed the user to advance through various scenarios, such as ordering breakfast, suggesting activities, or deciding on red carpet interactions. The game's success was amplified by celebrity endorsements from Chrissy Teigen and Questlove, and it garnered hundreds of thousands of likes and retweets.

Concept: A text-based adventure game played through Twitter threads.
Objective: To avoid getting fired as Beyoncé's assistant.
Gameplay: Users make choices by clicking on replies to the original tweet.
Features: Multi-branched narrative, humor, and engaging scenarios.
Viral Impact: Gained massive popularity, with millions of interactions.

Apple's Attempt to Replicate the Format

Following the success of Rivera's game, Apple's social media team for @AppleTV attempted to use a similar format to recommend movies. However, the article critiques Apple's execution, stating it fell significantly short of the original's success. Apple's thread offered a simpler, less engaging experience, with fewer choices and a less complex branching narrative. It quickly led to a movie suggestion without the depth, humor, or replayability that made the Beyoncé game viral.

Apple's Approach: A movie recommendation thread using a similar interactive format.
Critique: Lacked the complexity, humor, and engagement of the original.
Outcome: A more linear experience with a quick dead-end.

Key Differences and Lessons Learned

The article highlights that the success of the 'choose your own adventure' format on Twitter relies on several key elements that Apple's attempt missed:

Length and Complexity: The original game was extensive, offering many paths and decision points.
Humor and Personality: The Beyoncé game was infused with humor and a distinct personality, making it more enjoyable.
Consequences and Replayability: The risk of getting fired and the varied outcomes encouraged multiple playthroughs.

Other Viral Threads by Landon Rivera

After the success of the Beyoncé game, Rivera created similar threads for other celebrities, including Cardi B's bodyguard and scenarios about getting away with murder. While these also garnered attention, they did not reach the same level of virality as the original.

Conclusion

The article concludes that brands looking to replicate this viral trend must invest significant effort in creating clever, branching narratives that are both engaging and entertaining. Simply mimicking the format without understanding the underlying appeal is unlikely to yield similar results. The author suggests that if a brand cannot commit to this level of detail, it might be better to stick to traditional social media content.