A Twitter Truce. Marketing Implications?

If all is fair in love and war, what are the rules of engagement of social media?

Recently, sworn marketing adversaries Coke and Pepsi made nice on Twitter. Prodded by a follower, Coke approached Pepsi with the quasi curt introduction, “A gracious (but competitive) hello from Coke.” While this introduction doesn’t incite the warm and fuzzies…it worked. Pepsi responded “Can rivals and tweeps coexist? We’re willing to find out. ”

Following one another on Twitter certainly doesn’t mean that the taste tests, embattled ads and years of competition are over, but it still means something. At the very least, it shows the power of the Twitter people. Without the initial tweet (Dear @pepsi and @cocacola why not follow each other on Twitter and be friends? ), I doubt these behemoth brands would publicly acknowledge–let alone follow–each other on Twitter.

Ignoring the message would signify that they are not actually listening to their Twitter followers. This is the worst message a marketers could promote via Twitter as the merits of the platform lie in the interaction and one-on-one communication potential.

What does this Twitter truce mean? It still remains to be seen, but for now, it shows that Coke and Pepsi are attuned to the spirit of Twitter.