Sir Terry Leahy joins social media company Starcount…but still not Twitter
Former Tesco chief executive Sir Terry Leahy has leapt into social media, wallet blazing, by both investing in and becoming a board member of fan science company Starcount.
Sir Terry will be joining old Tesco comrades Clive Humby and Edwina Dunn – the pioneers behind the supermarket’s Clubcard – who took stakes in the company and joined as executive directors back in August.
Starcount is a social media insight and engagement company. It uses platforms such as Twitter and Facebook to gauge how global celebrities and brands are performing. The company has announced a $10m funding round, of which Leahy has contributed a “significant investment” to.
Leahy has become chairman of Starcount’s client council – Star Chamber – “a select group of high profile brands and organisations being brought together to develop solutions and products to improve their social media insight and fan interaction.”
“Just as retailers had to revolutionise their customer engagement practices in the 1990s, brands today are faced with the unique challenges and opportunities presented by social media,” said Leahy.
Sounds great – but Sir Terry Leahy doesn’t even have a Twitter account. How much insight can the former Tesco chief exec have into the complex world of social media when he doesn’t partake in one of its biggest platforms?
Hmmm. @SirTerryLeahy coming to a space near you?