\n<\/p>\n
Twitter, now X, has totally rebranded under Elon Musk,<\/strong> but it turns out the social media company\u2019s advertising problems\u2014namely that many brands don\u2019t want to be seen on a site that gives<\/a> space<\/a> to neo-Nazi and white nationalist accounts\u2014haven\u2019t gone away. On Wednesday, two more brands\u2014the NCTA, a television trade association, and the pharmaceutical company Gilead Sciences\u2014suspended their advertising on the platform, spokespeople for the brands told CNN. The news followed a Media Matters report<\/a> that found X had been placing ads from numerous high-profile advertisers, including the NCTA, Gilead, Adobe, and others, on a verified pro-fascist account.<\/p>\n NCTA spokesperson Brian Dietz<\/strong> said in a statement to CNN that the association is concerned about its paid content appearing alongside \u201chighly disturbing content.\u201d He also said the NCTA had signed up for brand-safety features offered by X that purport to restrict ads to the \u201chome feed of target audiences\u201d and away from offensive keywords. \u201cBrand safety will remain an utmost priority for NCTA, which means suspending advertising on Twitter\/X for the foreseeable future and heavily limiting NCTA\u2019s organic presence on the platform,\u201d Dietz said.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Gilead said the biopharmaceutical company will suspend advertising on X as it awaits an investigation into the incident.<\/p>\n All of this is bad news for X chief executive Linda Yaccarino,<\/strong> whom Musk hired seemingly to salvage<\/a> the platform\u2019s relationship<\/a> with corporate advertisers. During a CNBC interview<\/a> last week, Yaccarino insisted that her company remained committed to brand safety. \u201cYour ads will only air next to content that is appropriate for you,\u201d she assured advertisers, noting that a number of partners, including Coca-Cola and State Farm, had returned to X after leaving in the wake of Musk\u2019s takeover. (Last month, Musk said<\/a> X was still losing cash\u2014even after several rounds of layoffs and belt-tightening measures\u2014due to a 50% drop in the advertising revenue that accounts for the vast majority<\/a> of company revenue.)<\/p>\n Yaccarino also explained how the site handles content that could prove harmful to brands. \u201cIf you\u2019re going to post something that is lawful, but it\u2019s awful, you get labeled, you get de-amplified, which means it cannot be shared,\u201d she said.\u00a0However, the application of those rules appears inconsistent: Per MediaMatters, New American Union, the fascist, pro-Hitler account in question, purchased a verification badge in April, has attracted thousands of followers, and had a steady stream of ads appear on its page. (X suspended<\/a> the account following the publication of the Media Matters report.)<\/p>\n As of Thursday, Yaccarino has not commented on the loss of Gilead and NCTA\u2019s spending. But in a Wednesday post<\/a>, the executive emphasized a new layer of insurance for spooked brands. \u201cSensitivity Settings is live globally in the X Ads Manager\u2014making it even simpler for all advertisers to find the right balance between reach and suitability,\u201d she wrote<\/a>. The ongoing question for X: Will advertisers trust them?<\/p>\n<\/div>\n