Elon Musk Buying Twitter Makes Advertisers’ Anxious

Some brands are ‘prepared to stop spending,’ one agency exec says about the new boss

Elon Musk’s Twitter ownership is giving advertisers serious pause about the platform’s future, and some brands are asking their agencies for advice on whether to even stick with the messaging platform, according to multiple ad execs.

Musk reached a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter yesterday, which threw a wrench into the world of media and advertising, just as Twitter was heading into the key ad sales season known as NewFronts. “Fuck,” said one top marketing exec, when hearing the news about Musk. The expletive basically sums up the feeling among many in advertising: Marketers are worried that Musk will reopen the floodgates on uncivil behavior on the platform. Musk is seen as somewhat of a wildcard for brands; the billionaire views Twitter as a “town square,” where speech should be relatively open. But advertisers hope Twitter doesn’t become more like a bathroom stall under his watch. In recent years, Twitter’s leadership has taken a number of steps to help make brands feel somewhat safe on the platform, working with industry groups like the Global Alliance for Responsible Media to set guardrails.

Read more in Ad Age.