Since Elon Musk bought X in late 2022, its global revenues are forecast to more than halve to $1.9 billion as marketers warn it’s the least brand safe social media network out there.
More than a quarter (26 per cent) of marketers are planning to cut their spend on X, formerly known as Twitter, in 2025, according to a Kantar global study that polled 18,000 consumers and 1,000 senior marketers.
The exodus paints a worrying picture for the platform that Tesla owner Elon Musk bought less than two years ago.
Only 4 per cent of marketers now think X ads provide brand safety, which pales into comparison with the likes of Google (36 per cent).
Marketers’ overall trust for X ads have fallen from 22 per cent to 12 per cent since 2022. A net 15 per cent of marketers were favourable towards X ads in 2022, now a net 21 per cent of marketers are unfavourable.
The decrease in advertising interest doesn’t bother consumers; their ad preference has gone up significantly since 2022.
X isn’t the only platform that gets a beating, TikTok is also lagging in trust while YouTube, Instagram and Netflix lead the race among digital platforms (see below).
The study also found a disconnect between consumers ad preference and marketers. Consumers have more positive attitudes towards ads on cinema, newspapers, magazines and out of home.
Newspaper, magazine and cinema are three channels that marketers plan decrease their budgets most.
What consumers think
What marketers plan to do
