Pfizer Pauses Twitter Ads

Pfizer joined the list of companies pausing advertising on Twitter amid fears the platform won’t be a ‘safe place for brands’ after Elon Musk’s takeover.

The pharmaceutical giant paused its Twitter ad spending, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Other companies to halt Twitter ad spending include Audi, General Mills, and Oreo maker Mondelez International.

New: General Mills, Audi, Pfizer and VW all put their Twitter ads on pause. This is turning into a huge debacle for @elonmusk. https://t.co/TX6EdyjVJA

— Mark Elliott (@markmobility) November 3, 2022

General Mills will temporarily pause ads on Twitter, joining Pfizer, Audi and other brands rethinking their presence on the platform now that Elon Musk is its owner https://t.co/Vdyi4esxbC

— Bloomberg (@business) November 3, 2022

“Too bad you can’t just pause the spike protein in your body the way Pfizer paused its Twitter ads,” BlazeTV host Steve Deace noted.

Too bad you can't just pause the spike protein in your body the way Pfizer paused its Twitter ads.

— Steve Deace (@SteveDeaceShow) November 3, 2022

Pfizer to pause ads on Twitter. We’re they “ads” or propaganda?

— GreatAmericanMail (@mail_american) November 3, 2022

From The Wall Street Journal:

Food company General Mills Inc., Oreo maker Mondelez International Inc., Pfizer Inc. and Volkswagen AG’s Audi are among a growing list of brands that have temporarily paused their Twitter advertising in the wake of the takeover of the company by Elon Musk, according to people familiar with the matter.

Some advertisers are concerned that Mr. Musk could scale back content moderation, which they worry would lead to an increase in objectionable content on the platform. Others are temporarily halting their ads because of the uncertainty at the company as top executives exit and Mr. Musk considers a raft of changes, some of the people said.

Representatives for General Mills and Audi of America confirmed the companies have paused Twitter ads. “As always, we will continue to monitor this new direction and evaluate our marketing spend,” said a spokeswoman for General Mills, whose brands include Cheerios, Bisquick and Häagen-Dazs.

Daily Mail added:

Spokespersons for Mondelez and Pfizer did not immediately respond to requests for comment from DailyMail.com on Thursday evening.

Twitter has stopped responding to all press inquiries, except for the few that Musk answers by tweet.

Musk last week promised advertisers he would keep Twitter from turning into a ‘free-for-all hellscape’ and is now scrambling to convince advertisers that he will uphold the commitment.

Some advertisers have reportedly vowed to boycott Twitter for good if former president Donald Trump is allowed to return. Musk said on Wednesday it would be several weeks before a process is in place to reinstate banned accounts.

A media buyer at one major ad agency, who declined to be named for fear of reprisal, said the agency would meet with Musk this week to ask how the Tesla boss plans to handle misinformation on the social media platform.