Walmart Joins List of Brands Pulling Ads from Social Media Platform X
Walmart’s Decision
Walmart announced on Friday that it is not advertising on social media platform X, becoming one of the latest brands to distance itself from the Elon Musk-owned site. The retail giant stated, “We aren’t advertising on X as we’ve found other platforms to better reach our customers,” according to a Walmart spokesperson.
Platform Struggles
X, previously known as Twitter, has been grappling with retaining advertisers since Musk acquired the company in October 2022. The platform has faced a fresh exodus in recent weeks due to rising concern about antisemitic content.
Elon Musk’s Controversial Comments
Earlier this month, Musk agreed with an X user who falsely claimed that members of the Jewish community were stoking hatred against white people. Musk’s controversial statement sparked outrage as the user referenced the “Great Replacement” conspiracy theory, which alleges that Jewish people and leftists are orchestrating the ethnic and cultural replacement of white populations with non-white immigrants, leading to a “white genocide.”
Advertiser Response
Musk’s comments prompted major brands, including Apple, Disney, and Warner Bros Discovery, to suspend their ads on X this month. This decision came following a report from liberal watchdog group Media Matters, which revealed that ads appeared next to antisemitic posts on the platform.
Industry Reaction
An executive at a major ad-buying agency, who chose to remain anonymous, disclosed that X ad sales representatives appeared frustrated in the aftermath of Musk’s outburst against brands and did not have much to say in conversations.
It is evident that X’s struggle to maintain advertiser trust continues to pose a challenge.
