Prospective Twitter supremo Elon Musk — yes, at the time of writing, the long-running acquisition saga has still not finished — jumped on the platform to issue assurances to advertisers about brand safety.
As ever with Musk, there was much vitriol and bluster, but little substance.
“The reason I acquired Twitter is because it is important to the future of civilization,” the South African wrote.
“I didn’t do it because it would be easy,” he added, in a less-than-subtle nod to former US John F Kennedy.
“I didn’t do it to make more money. I did it to try to help humanity, whom I love. And I do so with humility, recognizing that failure in pursuing this goal, despite our best efforts, is a very real possibility.”
Reassuringly, Musk said that “Twitter obviously cannot become a free-for-all hellscape [sic], where anything can be said with no consequences!” and that, “In addition to adhering to the laws of the land, our platform must be warm and welcoming to all.”
Dear Twitter Advertisers pic.twitter.com/GMwHmInPAS
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 27, 2022
The statement came after Musk, aged 51 and a father of eight, posted a video of himself walking into the Twitter HQ holding a sink with the caption “Entering Twitter HQ – let that sink in!”
However, whether Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders will receive a warm welcome on Twitter with Musk in charge remains to be seen.
I keep forgetting that you’re still alive
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 14, 2021
In his olive branch to advertisers Musk also said that:
“Advertising, when done right, can delight, entertain and inform you; it can show you a service or product or medical treatment that you never knew existed but is right for you. For this to be true, it is essential to show Twitter users advertising that is as relevant as possible to their needs. Low relevancy ads are spam, but highly relevant ads are actually content!”
However, Musk did not provide any details about how he will work to make advertising more relevant to users, especially as third-party data sets come under greater scrutiny.
“Fundamentally, Twitter aspires to be the most respected advertising platform in the world that strengthens your brand and grows your enterprise,” continued Musk.
“To everyone who has partnered with us, I thank you. Let us build something extraordinary together.”
Whether advertisers will be wooed by rhetoric and stick around if Musk allows former US president Donald Trump back on the platform, as he has been rumoured to want, remains to be seen.
