Twitter sets up shop in Brazil, a region with lots of potential

Twitter is opening up a new office in Brazil, one of the social network’s largest markets behind the U.S.

The new office, located in the city of Sao Paulo, is part of Twitter’s plan to help monetize the service that’s organically attracted about 40 million active users. Brazil is the world’s sixth-largest economy, so it makes sense that Twitter would want to develop a specific plan for revenue growth in the country.

“We believe our new office in Brazil will allow us to get closer to the users and show the value of our platform,” Twitter’s new Brazil manager Guilherme Ribenboim told Reuters. “Brazil has rather mature Internet and advertisement markets. Our audience is very big and active.”

Another reason Twitter is anxious to put down some roots in Brazil? Two international sporting events are coming to the area — the World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016. Traditionally, these types of events set new “tweets per second” records, as Twitter has pointed out many times in the past.

Twitter is hardly the only tech company that sees potential in the region. Rival social network Facebook also has a presence in Brazil, as does online retail giant Amazon and streaming video service Netflix.

Brazil photo via Aleksandar Mijatovi/Shutterstock