Four Takeaways from Twitter Banning Political Ads

Yesterday afternoon, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey announced the company will ban political ads on the platform

The changes, announced by Dorsey in an extended Twitter thread, will apply to both advertising relating to an electoral candidate and issue advocacy ads. The policy will be presented in more detail on November 15 and implemented beginning November 22. (Twitter Will Ban All Political Ads, C.E.O. Jack Dorsey Says, New York Times)

Takeaway(s)

The seismic change will have huge implications for digital advertising and public affairs. Below are our top initial takeaways:

1. Twitter was never good at this. Twitter was trying to implement a solid policy for political ads, investing a large amount of resources in building a new ads library and reporting process. However (and trust us because we lived it), Twitter’s process was clunky, haphazard, and often unreliable. It’s hard not to think that the inability to achieve consistent political content detection and reporting didn’t factor in the decision to move out of the space. As GSG’s digital VP Emily Williams told Business Insider, “This is frankly more of a statement of where Twitter has the resources to invest and probably a business calculation that this isn’t worth it for them.”
2. This is bigger news for advocacy than elections. Twitter advertising was limited in its usefulness for candidates. It has never proven itself to be an effective gatherer of donations or email addresses, and it does not have the reach as a mass persuasion medium. In contrast, Twitter was central to a large number of public affairs campaigns that seek to promote content to a concentrated group of influential users. Digital marketers will need to find new ways to reach this group. Expect the budgets from Twitter to be shifted to elite advertising options such as newsletters and niche publications.
3. Your following now matters more. Without the ability to promote political messages to a wider audience, having an active and engaged following is more important than ever. Established organizations with large followings have a built-in advantage in advocacy communications compared to campaigns formed to tackle a single issue.
4. This is not the end of Twitter’s problems. Firstly, they will still have to flag content and will inevitably face criticism when political content sneaks through their checks. This also does little to address criticism around hate speech, disinformation, and a litany of other issues.

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