“The risk of being associated with unsafe content may increase and this should be taken into account when deciding whether to use the platform,” writes Omnicom in an internal message according to the news agency Reuters.
The recommendation could have serious consequences because ads accounted for more than 90 percent of Twitter’s revenue in the second quarter. Automaker GM has already paused its advertising on Twitter.
Want to reduce ad dependency
It was to reduce dependence on ads that Twitter’s new owner Elon Musk launched the option to pay $7.99 a month for the premium service Twitter Blue, which among other things means getting a blue badge with a white tick next to the account name.
The only problem is that this mark is also used to signal authenticity. Companies, organizations and public figures have for many years been able to apply for the blue mark with Twitter, which has decided arbitrarily on the matter – something that has sometimes led to accusations of unfairness and discrimination.
When the service launched on Wednesday, fake accounts using a purchased blue flag to trick or just mock Twitter and its controversial owner quickly appeared. Nintendo and Lockheed Martin were among those affected, as well as famous politicians and – of course – Musk’s own companies Tesla and SpaceX.
On Friday, a fake account for pharmaceutical giant Ely Lilly & Co wrote that insulin will henceforth be free. The announcement caused the share price to fall by 2 percent and also affected the company’s competitors Novo Nordisk and Sanofi, the newspaper writes The Independent.
New accounts are nobbed
Twitter has now limited the ability to buy blue ticks. Accounts created after November 8th may not purchase the service until further notice.
Since before, there are also other restrictions. The service is only available in the US, Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand, and only for users with Apple’s iOS operating system.
In addition, parody accounts must be regulated more clearly.
“We’re adding a parody tag to clarify,” Musk writes in one Twitter posts.
“It is not OK to deceive people,” he writes.