UPDATE: A spokesperson for Twitter says:
“I’m not sure why the nomination paragraph on Tony isn’t on the site. That’s probably a question for LOCOG. Tony wasn’t nominated by a company, he was asked by the IOC to represent Twitter and its role in bringing athletes and fans closer together.”
The general manager of Twitter in the UK got to carry the torch today – and, naturally, tweeted about it too.
It’s not clear why he carried the torch, as Wang not only doesn’t have a nomination story – he is not even listed on the official torch relay website.
Twitter recently announced a partnership with NBCUniversal to “serve as a hub for digital communications” about the Games. Last month the social network closed a satirical account following a request from Locog.
We are awaiting a response from Twitter with more details on the reasons for Tony’s nomination.
Samsung, Locog and the IOC have all invited journalists and media executives to carry torches this year.
H/t Lyra McKee
According to Marketing Magazine, Tony Wang came to the UK a year ago to ‘set up a European sales house to enable Twitter to roll out the long-awaited advertising opportunities on the platform’. http://www.marketingmagazine.co.uk/news/1131764/Q-A-Tony-Wang-general-manager-Twitter-UK/ Do company leaders really need these perks? Did some of them make any effort to find young or deserving people even on their own staff?