Intro

As we all know, Twitter, now called X, has been a touchy subject in the ad industry since its acquisition by Elon Musk back in 2022. In the ever-evolving landscape of digital marketing, brand safety has emerged as a key concern for advertisers, and many felt X wasn’t in line with their standards. Recent developments have made us cautious about the advertising opportunities on the social media platform as we keep up to date with the continuous policy changes and recent events involving the platform. Below we delve into some of the changes we’ve seen this quarter with X and our POV on advertising concerns for our partners.

Recent Social Media Misinformation Claims

X (formerly Twitter) has revised its policy on what’s considered “newsworthy,” moving away from the previous criterion of posts by users with a minimum of 100,000 followers. The updated policy recognizes posts by “high-profile accounts,” but the qualifications for this status are unclear. Additionally, X discontinued tools for detecting coordinated misinformation and accounts sharing identical media, which has raised concerns, and the EU has warned X about disinformation related to the Israel-Hamas conflict, with the possibility of fines.

A Partnership with Google to Unlock New Possibilities

One of the most significant strides in alleviating concerns is Google’s recent partnership with X, scheduled to roll out in mid-October. This partnership will grant DV360 customers access to X’s inventory, including its iOS and Android apps through the Home Timeline feature. With over 200 million daily active users, this expansion promises an extended reach to your target audience during those critical “moments that matter.”

The collaboration between Google and X is in line with the broader trend of apps and websites seeking to monetize their content. Google Ad Manager will facilitate the monetization of X’s content. This strategic partnership allows the social platform to harness Google’s extensive network and resources, enhancing its advertising capabilities and potential.

A Commitment to Brand Safety

Crucially, the partnership requires the social media platform to adhere to Google’s publisher policies consistently across user-generated content. This commitment to maintaining a high standard of content is reassuring for advertisers who have been concerned about brand safety. X has also stepped up its game by introducing several new brand safety features, indicative of their earnest efforts to win back the trust of many skeptical brands. One such feature is Sensitivity Settings, an automated solution that empowers advertisers to align their brand’s messaging according to their specific sensitivity requirements. This added layer of control ensures that your brand’s message is conveyed in the manner you deem appropriate. Additional considerations to take into account when using X on Google’s Dv360 is the labeling standards implemented by the platform. To qualify for X inventory, advertisers are required to include ‘MA’ (Mature Audience) or ‘Content not yet labeled’ in their digital content label settings.

X’s Ad Solutions

In addition to their brand safety commitments, X has been working to increase their ad offerings that can be leveraged and integrated into advertiser’s digital strategy. Some of the platforms’ ad formats include:

• X Amplify – Includes Amplify Pre-roll for precise targeting and Amplify Sponsorships for exclusive publisher partnerships.
• X’s Takeover – Offers Timeline Takeover and Trend Takeover for premium placements.
• X Live – Engages the audience through real-time livestreams.
• Dynamic Product Ads (DPA) – Retargets potential customers by showcasing products they’ve previously interacted with.
• Collection Ads – Streamline product details for a hassle-free browsing experience.
• X Enhanced Ad Features – Includes interactive polls, conversation prompts, website buttons, app integration, and branding elements for increased engagement.

Regardless of their challenges , the social media platform can be commended for their consumer-centric attitude towards advertising. X’s “Audience Insights” offers businesses a comprehensive view of their audience, including demographics such as age, gender, and device usage. It delves into the interests and behaviors of the audience, aiding in the creation of tailored ads. Location insights help target specific geographic areas, while device usage data informs ad design. Additionally, the tool highlights the most active times of the audience, enabling businesses to optimize ad timing for maximum visibility. Paired with a trove of ad formats, X is positioning itself as a major advertising player.

NC POV – Proceeding With Caution

As digital marketing evolves, so must our strategies. The recent advancements and partnerships involving X are indicative of a platform determined to provide a safer and more effective advertising environment. With 450 million active subscribers and a 300% increase in advertising spending to $167 million last year, X’s growing potential as an advertising platform is evident, especially considering its low CPC and CPM rates. However, as we approach a cookieless future, advertisers and brands must align with consumers’ habits and platforms that are gaining traction and retaining their loyalty. As of late, we’ve seen that adult Gen Zers over-index in X, in comparison to younger Gen Z and other generations – primarily because Gen Z is drawn to text-based and conversational social platforms and platforms offering social videos.
As we continue to keep an eye out for X’s updates, our POV is simple. Although consumers’ attention is more divided than ever across multiple social platforms, to reach your qualified audience, we must stay in the know of which platforms grow with the generations and how they are using these platforms (i.e., search, discovery, shopping, etc) to align better our strategies. Although we are being cautious about X advancements in brand safety and social misinformation, if the platform continues to grow, we recommend partners leveraging Google’s DV360 partnership to reach consumers and leverage the scale of X.

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