The IT Nerd

Since Elon Musk bought Twitter, nails have been going into the platform’s metaphorical coffin. And the latest nail is a big one. Advertising giant GroupM, who’s clients include Google, Coca-Cola, and Unilever has named Twitter “high-risk,” and is warning its clients against buying promotions on the site. Digiday has the details:

GroupM, the world’s largest media buying agency, is telling clients that Twitter is now a “high risk” media buy following a barrage of controversies, U-turns and confusion that capped off Elon Musk’s second week as the owner of the social network.

The advice was shared in a document, seen by Digiday, that warns marketers of the risks of advertising on the volatile social network. It reads: “Based on the news yesterday [Nov. 10] of additional senior management resignations from key posts, high profile examples of blue check abuse on corporate accounts, and the potential inability for Twitter to comply with their federal consent decree, GroupM’s Twitter Risk Assessment is increased to a High-Risk rating for all tactics.”

If this stance is to change, Twitter has to resolve several issues, per the document. They are as follows:

• Return to baseline NSFW levels
• Re-population of IT security, privacy, trust & safety senior staff
• Establishment of internal checks & balances
• Full transparency on future development plans of community guidelines/content moderation/ anything affecting user security or brand safety
• Demonstrated commitment to effective content moderation,enforcing current Twitter Rules, e.g., account impersonation, violative content removal timing, intolerance of hate speech & misinformation, etc.

Yeah. None of that is going to happen. Even if he could make any or all of that happen. Which to be clear he can’t. Musk has got zero interest in tap dancing to the tune of the ad industry. Even if he needs their money as Twitter’s main source of income is advertising whether he likes it or not.

GroupM joins a number of other ad agencies in recommending against advertising on Twitter. That includes Omnicom, Cossette, and likely others who are running as far away from Twitter as they can get. And the more that happens, the more screwed Elon Musk is.

It’s almost time to give Twitter its last rites.

This entry was posted on November 15, 2022 at 8:48 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Twitter. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.