Agency POV: Should Brands Stop Advertising on Twitter?

Elon Musk’s recent acquisition of Twitter has been one of the dominant stories in the business and marketing worlds.

Reports of massive layoffs (followed by desperate rehiring), difficult working conditions and deep cuts to the platform’s moderation team have gained quite a bit of attention. Combine that with a recent spate of controversial tweets from Mr. Musk, and it’s clear that Twitter has attracted much unwanted negative attention.

In fact, several advertisers have started to pull spend from the platform, citing brand safety concerns. Specifically, having their advertising content served next to unmoderated, arguably inappropriate content with few options for support.

So, what about you?

The decision to cease advertising on a particular platform is a difficult one with many facets and considerations. And the truth is, in today’s hyper-polarized society, most advertisers will find themselves in a catch-22. 

Stay on the platform and risk alienating segments of your target audience who may not be comfortable with the direction the platform is heading.

Pull out, and you could be labeled an “activist” and attract unwanted attention. As an agency, one of our most important responsibilities is to help our clients strategically manage their marketing budgets. And while we’re not actively counseling our clients to steer clear of Twitter, we want brands to know there are plenty of options for reaching their target audiences outside of it.