The U.K. Government has decided to stop advertising on Twitter (now X), dealing a blow to Elon Musk’s platform amid an exodus of major brands. The Telegraph has more.
The decision was taken before the company was plunged into an antisemitism row last week that has seen advertisers including Apple, Disney and the European Commission pull adverts.
A source said the decision was a commercial one, related to the effectiveness of advertising spend on Twitter, rather than a response to Mr. Musk’s recent comments, which last week led to a reprieve from the White House.
While unrelated to the antisemitism row, the Government’s decision to stop advertising on the platform will compound Mr. Musk’s problems as he struggles to reverse slumping advertising revenues.
Whitehall departments spent £5.4 million on Twitter adverts in 2022, according to a Freedom of Information request. …
In comparison, Government accounts continue to advertise heavily on Facebook and Instagram, according to Meta’s advertising library, promoting issues such as tax-free childcare and rights for social housing tenants. Last year, Government spent £20.5 million on Facebook and Instagram adverts.
Twitter is reeling from a growing corporate boycott after Mr. Musk appeared to personally endorse an antisemitic post on the service last week. He replied to a post accusing Jewish people of pushing “hatred against whites”, calling it “the actual truth”. Mr. Musk’s comments led the White House to accuse him of “abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate”.
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