Volkswagen Follows Audi, General Motors to Stop Paid Advertising on Twitter

Volkswagen on Friday said it has advised its companies to suspend paid advertising on Twitter until further notice after Elon Musk’s takeover of the social media platform.

“We are closely monitoring the situation and will decide on the next steps as it develops,” Europe’s leading car company said in a statement.

The comments from the Volkswagen group, which includes brands VW, Seat, Cupra, Audi, Lamborghini, Bentley, Ducati and Porsche, echoed similar comments from other companies, including GM and General Mills.

Earlier, General Mills and American luxury car maker Audi announced that they have suspended advertising on Twitter, days after the social media platform was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk for $44 billion (approx. Rs. 3,37,500 crore). . “We will continue to monitor this new direction and evaluate our marketing spend,” said a General Mills spokesperson.

Audi of America, Herndon, Virginia’s US unit of Audi – brand Volkswagen Group – said it will “continue to assess the situation.”

The two companies join US giant General Motors, which said last week it was temporarily suspending paid advertising on Twitter. The ad suspension comes after Musk said in an open letter to advertisers last week that he wanted Twitter to be “the most respected advertising platform” in an effort to earn their trust.

Last week, Musk tweeted that the company would create a content moderation council with a “very different vision.” Musk said no major decisions on the content or restoration of accounts will take place before the council meets.

The self-described “absolutist of free speech” said in May that he would lift the Twitter ban on former US President Donald Trump, who was removed from the microblogging site in January last year at the risk of inciting violence after the US Capitol storm. . .

© Thomson Reuters 2022