Linda Yaccarino, head of global advertising and partnerships at NBCUniversal, says Elon Musk deserves patience from the company’s advertisers and business partners despite the backlash he has faced during his more than two weeks of Twitter activity.
“You’ve got to give that guy a minute,” Yaccarino said, adding that she “wouldn’t bet against him.”
Speaking at an Ad Age conference, as reported by the ad trade publication, Yaccarino said she was “obsessed” with Musk’s $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, which she called “intriguing.” Yaccarino said she was one of the major advertisers who reached out to company leadership during the recent chaos to strengthen relationships with advertisers and users. For NBCUniversal, “Twitter is the only, #1 largest” content distributor, she noted. Through the company’s Amplify offering, a portion of the proceeds are used to help NBCU acquire news, sports and entertainment franchises such as Saturday night live as well as corporate pillars such as the Olympic Games.
Many ad buyers have suspended their purchases on Twitter in recent days because of the bumpy rollout of a new verification system that puts most of the company’s more than $5 billion in annual revenue at risk. Efforts to explore new subscription models coincided with Musk firing half the company’s employees and engaging in questionable behavior on his personal Twitter account. For example, over the weekend after the takeover closed, he shared a baseless conspiracy theory about the attack on Paul Pelosi, the husband of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. An $8-a-month subscription that gives blue ticks to any user who pays to sign up has led to identity theft and fraud, though Musk has promised to take swift action against any accounts involved in “fraud or fraud .”
Promises of vigorous enforcement have kept brands like Pepsi, Eli Lilly and even Musk’s Tesla Inc. don’t like to be immediately cheated and scammed by fake accounts that pretend to be official and have a blue tick. (The company has suspended the review as it assesses the potential downsides, according to multiple media reports today.) Broader concerns about the type of controversial or even hateful content that could circulate more freely on Twitter, especially in light of Musk’s repeated calls for “freedom of expression.” “. ” and the “digital market” – heightened fears. Economic conditions also called for a temporary hiatus, with third-quarter results from YouTube, Meta Platforms, Roku and other tech companies showing that ad buyers were wary even before Musk’s Twitter -undertaking.
Yaccarino said she believes Musk “understands security and transparency” but just needs time to “learn advertising.” The NBCU vet added, “Give me a break. I think we can teach him.”
Given the nearly decade-long relationship the companies have built, Yaccarino said there was no choice but to help Musk fix things. “There is no substitute for Twitter,” she said.
Writer: Dade Hayes
Source: Deadline
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