Some Brands Have Stopped Interacting With Followers On Twitter Entirely
Since it came to light that Elon Musk is an antisemite that supports antisemitism on Twitter, brands such as IBM and Apple have paused advertising on Twitter. But according to CNN, some ads are going one step further, they’ve stopped interacting with followers on Twitter entirely:
In recent days, a number of prominent media brands have not only paused their paid marketing campaigns on the embattled Elon Musk-owned social platform, but have ceased posting on it altogether, going silent on the once essential site that sought to be the world’s “digital town square.”
The flagship accounts belonging to Disney, Paramount, Lionsgate, Sony Pictures, Universal, and Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN’s parent company) have not posted on the platform in roughly 10 days, following Musk’s disturbing endorsement of an antisemitic conspiracy theory, which he still has not apologized for.
None of the studios commented on the record when CNN reached out for comment. But people familiar with the social media strategies of Paramount and WBD confirmed under the condition of anonymity that it’s no coincidence: the companies have made the active decision to stop posting under certain handles on X due to concerns, including brand safety.
The blackout on X extends beyond these companies’ corporate accounts, in some cases. For instance, the most high profile accounts affiliated with Disney have gone dark on X, such as @StarWars, @Pixar, and @MarvelStudios, which were previously posting multiple times a day on the platform to their millions of followers. Instead, these brands have switched over to the Meta-owned rival Threads, where they have started actively posting.
Here’s the thing. If enough brands stop posting to Twitter and instead post to other platforms such as Threads, people will follow and Twitter becomes less relevant. That in turn makes other advertisers say “why is my brand on Twitter as there’s less people here”? And they’ll go to where the people are. Which will make Twitter even less relevant. Ultimately, it will end with Twitter being driven into extinction and Elon Musk looking like the loser that he is for paying $44 billion for a company and running it into the ground due to his on ineptitude. Frankly that’s what he deserves given his behaviour over the last year.
November 28, 2023 at 10:24 am
Until there is a clear winner in the replacement of Twitter those brands will still stay there.