Helen Klein Ross has worked in the advertising industry for years. Now Ross plays a wife of an advertising superhero from the the fictional show Mad Men…on Twitter.

Some Mad Men Background:

Mad Men, which airs on AMC, is a show by Matthew Weiner set back in the 60’s era. The storyline follows the life an advertising exec named Don Draper. Betty Draper is Don’s (SPOILER ALERT) former wife who is known for making childish decisions. The show has received many praises including a number of Emmy awards and a CLIO awarded to the show’s creator for creating a more positive perception of the advertising industry.

The Panel

Helen Klein Ross describes her pursuit of social media as a “rabbit hole” experience. She dove into the Twitter-sphere with sheer curiosity and fascination and didn’t look back. After encountering an @DonDraper Twitter handle, her curiosity was further sparked. She quickly snagged the @BettyDraper and so it began.

A parallel world had been created on Twitter based television series. Ross signed on to the role of Betty Draper and more people followed suit and filled in the roles of other characters. The Twitter alter egos never break character from the show and commonly offer supplemental material to each episode that aired. Ross described definition of a twebisode to the panel, which is micro drama in which fans were invited to participate via Twitter.

Twebisode – Micro drama in which fans were invited to participate via Twitter

Here Ross comments on Betty Draper’s new Pinterest account:

The Implications

What Ross and other the Madmen tweeters had created was the ultimate trans-media experience. Viewers could watch a 45 minute episode of fictitious world and then continue to follow that world after the credits rolled. This method, although not for everyone, is a great way to keep customers engaged on which ever platform they choose. Brands can tell their stories and keep their social networks actively listening, which can be a difficult feat in a such a digital age.

Ross presented the panel with Betty Draper’s recipe for “bigger brand muffins” aka the ingredients for social success:

• content
•  discovery
• continuity
• simplicity
• sharability