Advertisers’ Growing Tension as Musk Wins Twitter
Elon Musk’s promise to tame the “free‑for‑all hellscape” on Twitter has turned into a hot ticket for ad buyers.
Advertisers are now filing a “detail or die” request: show me the game plan, or we walk away.
Meetings — When the Giants Line Up
- One media buyer (anonymous because the fear of retaliation is real) said his agency will sit down with Musk this week.
They want to know how the Tesla chief will “clamp down on misinformation.” - He’s also asking the big question: “How does your pledge line up with your own headline‑making tweets,
like the weekend post about the conspiracy surrounding Paul Pelosi?” - Other items on the agenda:
- Raising the cost of Twitter’s subscription service.
- Serving “half as many ads.”
- Who’s the new “go‑to” for advertisers after a revolving door of execs, including the former ad chief, has left.
- Top clients are set to join the meeting, according to the buyer.
No Answer Yet
Twitter hasn’t responded to the request for comment.
Musk, still fresh in New York, is juggling a stream of investors and ministers of advertising.
He’s spending his first week as CEO with VC buddies, and the goal is to keep the $5 billion‑plus revenue stream from advertisers humming.
Ad Buyers Get Mixed Signals
- Another buyer told Reuters that his agency won’t meet with Musk until there’s a clear direction or a real update on how Twitter will serve advertisers.
- Some clients have already paused their spend this week because of the chaos that’s ensued, or concerns over child‑sexual‑abuse material.
- Interpublic (the ad‑holding company behind Coca‑Cola and American Express) advised its clients to pause Twitter ads for the next week.
Musk’s Twitter Poll — The Internet’s Whisper
On Wednesday night, Musk fired off a poll asking whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or “political correctness.”
Out of over a million votes, 80% said freedom of speech, but the media buyer warned that provocations like this only muddle the waters.
LinkedIn Voices — Brands Get Real
- Allie Wassum, global director of social and integrated media for a Jordan‑sponsored shoe brand, posted on LinkedIn:
“Unless Elon hires leaders committed to keeping this ‘free’ platform safe from hate speech, it’s not a platform brands can or should advertise on.” - Wassum declined to respond to further questions.
Wrap‑Up
Musk is still nurturing relationships with major advertisers—he’s got 90% of revenue on the line.
But as he hovers over how to balance free speech and brand safety, advertisers are either cooling their wallets or demanding a concrete roadmap.
If Musk can’t deliver his promise, the platform may face another wave of ad caution—and that’s a heavy price to pay for a platform that’s supposed to be “free.”
