1. Ashton Kutcher (and His Followers): Tech's New Power Brokers Jacob Toscano & Genny Nguyen BA 499

2. Summary  Celebrities: Powerhouse investors  Dwolla: new mobile phone payment service  Blog  “how to get Ashton Kutcher to invest in your startup”  Social media:  Facebook (12.3 million fans)  Twitter (10.3 million followers)

3. Summary continued  Airbnb: online peer- to-peer apartment rental service  $8.4 million in revenue  Kutcher recommended service to followers  2011 revenue: $52.8 million

4.  Fewer consumers watching TV  Spending more time on social media/internet  Celebrities social network as new product launch model.  Twitter army:  Lady Gaga (22.9 M followers)  Justin Bieber (20.2 M followers)  Britney Spears (15.6 M followers)  Kim Kardashian (14.4 M followers)  Oprah Winfrey (10.7 M followers)  Justin Timberlake (10.4 M followers)

5. Questions  What do you think of celebrities advertising to their fans through social media?  Do you think it will increase revenue like it did for Airbnb?  Will you buy the product if celebrities tweeted/posted about product on social media?  Would you be just as likely to ignore the post/tweet as when you watch TV or internet TV shows?  Since consumers watch TV less and spend more time on the internet, do you think this type of marketing will work?

6.  http://www.businessweek.com/articles/20 12-04-16/ashton-kutcher-and-his-followers- techs-new-power-brokers