Elon Musk’s SpaceX has reportedly purchased a large ad campaign on Twitter — worth in excess of US$250,000 — in order to promote its Starlink service.
The advertising package, known as a Twitter takeover, is one of the largest available on the social media platform.
In its new campaign, SpaceX will promote its owned and operated satellite internet service, Starlink, to Twitter users in Spain and Australia, according to internal records from the social media business viewed by CNBC.
Companies spend more than a quarter of a million US on a Twitter takeover, which puts the brand at the top of the Twitter timeline for a full day. Aussie and Spanish Twitter users should see Starlink brand messaging for the first three times they open the app on during the takeover campaign which is set to start in the coming days.
According to one current and one former Twitter employee, SpaceX has not typically purchased large advertising packages from Twitter.
SpaceX is Musk’s company that makes and operates spacecraft to help launch satellites and people into orbit for a fee, of course.
Starlink uses a group of satellites that beam internet down to paying subscribers, with the idea being that those not served properly with cable or fibre-optic internet would be able to get zippy download speeds. The service has proved very useful in Ukraine’s defence against the Russian invasion as Putin’s forces targeted communications infrastructure. Those users also need to obtain terminals from SpaceX to access it.
Musk’s foot, however, is never far from his mouth. Last month, the new chief twit publicly complained that SpaceX could not give the service away to Ukraine forces forever, saying it was “unreasonable.” He also reportedly asked the Pentagon to foot the bill the internet service as Ukraine, busy fighting a war for its survival, was unable to put up the cash.
Musk has had a rough time with advertisers on Twitter in recent weeks, with a range of brands and agencies pulling their spend due to concerns over brand safety and content moderation — though you probably already knew that thanks to B&T‘s regrettably rapacious coverage.
