Are Twitter Ads good for companies?

[Phidippides]

Companies can use Twitter to engage with users in both macro and micro-oriented ways.  While creating posts allows users to see what you say if they follow you or specifically find you in a search, Twitter Ads allows companies to inject their tweets into other users' timelines as "Promoted" tweets.  While this gives a company's tweet high exposure, it also opens up that tweet to criticism by users who tweet back.

With Twitter Ads becoming more commonplace, I have started clicking on an occasional ad in my timeline.  It seems to be a frequent occurrence that I see responses by users who take that opportunity to trash the company posting the ad.  Sometimes it might be because the user wants to be funny, or wants to gain likes by being the first to respond to a large company's ad, or perhaps because the user is really upset with the company.  At times, a Twitter Mob might erupt and a company can become a veritable punching bag for human rage. 

This seems to be the opposite of a good investment.  What company wants to pay to be the subject of mockery or derision?

So are Twitter Ads ever a good idea for a company to buy?

[Donald Baker]

It is a bad idea since the company cannot control what is being said.  However, the feedback could be valuable for marketing reasons...but I wouldn't want to subject my company to derision just to see what I need to fix.  Focus groups can give you that kind of data.

[Phidippides]

I agree.  I think that focus groups are a better option for individual feedback.  Twitter Mobs aren't good for constructive criticism.