Musk's X tries to win advertisers back with discounts

The website formerly known as Twitter is trying to win back advertisers yet again with half-off deals on certain ads – and reportedly threats to remove gold checks from company profiles if advertisers don't start spending money.  X, black-and-white branding for which unceremoniously replaced Twitter's famous blue bird over the …

[Jeff Smith]

Dunno about you, but…

Nothing makes me want to spend my money more than idle threats to remove meaningless status symbols if I don’t.

I would also feel highly encouraged to allow my brand to participate on a platform which engages in such behaviour.

Sign me up.

[MachDiamond]

Re: Dunno about you, but…

"I found an extra hour a day of my time to do other more fulfilling things, like reading books. "

Oh, and by the way, you only have a few days to comply. The ad agencies can't write up the brief and have a mood board assembled in 4 days, much less produce something to fit the format. While Elon enjoys having a corporate structure that's ruler flat, nobody else does that so approvals take time for new advertising media. No C-level exec is going to give free rein to some lower level manager and follow in the footsteps of Bud Light.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Dunno about you, but…

Should be easy to make X-rated ads though...

[Groo The Wanderer]

Re: Dunno about you, but…

Unfortunately, there ARE businesses that do want to be associated with such behavior, so enamored of Musk are they.

Personally I don't think someone with such a temperament is fit to run the local McDonald's - the staff turnover would be _atrocious_.

[Anonymous Coward]

Define Extortion

“The practice of obtaining something, especially money, through force or threats.”

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Define Extortion

So he's currently facing a $Bn lawsuit from Eli Lily after an 'approved' post said that they were making insulin free - Twitters defense is that the 'approved' blue checkmark doesn't mean approved.

He's now saying that unless they pay $1K/month then Eli Lilly's approved gold checkmark (which presumably does mean approved) might go away, leaving only the blue checkmark posts from scammers

I bet the judge is going to love that

[MachDiamond]

Re: Define Extortion

"Twitters defense is that the 'approved' blue checkmark doesn't mean approved."

Proceeded by the "not a flamethrower" and followed by the "not a flame trench".

[John Robson]

Re: Define Extortion

No - it means that the account has paid $n

It doesn't mean they've verified anything, certainly not each post made.

[MJI]

Re: Define Extortion

It should be free, so where is the issue?

[CowHorseFrog]

Re: Define Extortion

Maybe all the people who paid for the blue mark should sue X for dishonest advertising.

[LenG]

Re: Define Extortion

Surely you mean X-Torsion ... the art of getting money from people by twisting their arm?

[Pascal Monett]

Twisting the arm has a prior condition : you have to have a hold on it.

Xwitter has no hold on anyone. It hardly has a hold on itself.

[Bebu]

Re: Define Extortion

X-Torsion ... the art of getting money from people by twisting their arm?

Arm? A bit lower I would have thought and I am not pulling your leg. ;)

[Evil Scot]

Re: Define Extortion

I wont rise to that.

[theOtherJT]

Watching Musk run this into the ground...

...is literally the most entertainment that twitter has ever managed to provide me.

[Pascal Monett]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

Better not make a drinking game out of it, though. No liver could survive.

[MrDamage]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

Coward. The liver is evil and must be punished.

[SuperGeek]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

Now all we need is for Musk to do the same for FarceBook, and then TikToxic!

[Rich 2]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

“ Now all we need is for Musk to do the same for FarceBook…”

Oh can you just imagine? The utter JOY of this would be without precedent. There would be street parties. Literally billions of zombies would re-awaken, refreshed and cleansed.

What a BEAUTIFUL event that would be.

Ahhhhhhh…….

[Kurgan]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

You mean Xacebook and XikXok?

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

Really? I've had more fun with the idiots on it thinking it was a reasonable means of communication…trolling is so easy and, for a couple of hours at least, real fun.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

Unfortunately it IS a good method of communication - if only it wasn't owned by a fsck-wit

Traffic alerts, forest fires, train / ferry delays, lots of applications where you want potentially millions of people to be able to subscribe to a lot of information services in a single app with low bandwidth and some level of authentication of the sender - not really anything to replace it for the general public

[Charlie Clark]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

Cell broadcast was built into to the GSM standard for precisely this reason: no app required. What you don't want or need is a single private company pretending to offer the service.

[Zippy´s Sausage Factory]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

There's a few replacements on the way, BlueSky seems the most promising so far.

[Ian 55]

Re: Watching Musk run this into the ground...

The problem with https://substack.com/app-link/post?publication_id=8982&post_id=135448974 is that it isn't rude enough about Musk.

[PghMike]

Xitter?

I'd lose the W, and just call it Xitter. And then use the Pinyin pronunciation for it. Just like Xi is pronounced "Shi"....

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Xitter?

"I'm a Twitter Xitter"?

(Mildly NSFW, if you work at that sort of place).

[Grunchy]

I had already quit the twitter

Now nobody’s on the twitter.

Trendsetter, moi?

C'est arrivé!

[Snake]

Oh yes!

Advertisers are just chomping at the bit to re-ad on "X", it makes SOoooo much sense!

"As seen on 'X'!"

"X us on X to send us your feedback!"

"Our X feed is actually family-friendly and rated 'PG'."

"We'll announce our newest product on an X rollout, coming soon!" (but not too soon, every hates premature...announcements)

"We re-started our advertising campaign on 'X' only to be told that it might be relaunched by Musk yet again, because he believes that 'Double X' is more to [his, today's] mood."

...

I think a hardy "No" is appropriate here.

[steven_t]

er

Isn't it half way through the rebrand and currently called "er"?

[Michael Strorm]

Yeah, but until they get rid of Musk...

...the Twitt is still there.

[Howard Sway]

Musk's X tries to win advertisers back with discounts

It's a funny old kind of discount.

Special Offer this month! Get 50% off when you spend at least $1000 and we'll also make sure that nobody comes round and breaks your windows or your legs!

You're not supposed to make those kind of offers in public though.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Musk's X tries to win advertisers back with discounts

Re: make sure that nobody comes round and breaks your windows or your legs

Dinsdale!

[heyrick]

Given that random people can't even see anything on Twit-uh-X these days, I wonder how many companies are going to just say "Fuck it" and stop using the service.

Funny aside: Just went to see if I could in fact see any of Twit-uh-X without an account (= no) and the login page had a close 'X' right next to the logo 'X'. Rather than exercise any brain power determining which was which given the browser resized the text to nearly match, I just swiped the tab away.

[Kevin McMurtrie]

It's worse than that. Many companies were using Twitter for tech support, status, and content feeds. Those pages at least somewhat worked without an account before. Now they're a sign-in page with no preview. Corporate clients, the ones with all the money and visitors, just had their only use for Twitter turned off.

[mpi]

Well, maybe these companies learned a valueable lesson from that:

Do not make essential parts of your infrastructure (and that includes being able to communicate to customers) dependend on some "free" internet-service.

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but hip, and cheap...

^{And who needs customer support anyway. We've already got their money, so why don't they just go...}

[Charlie Clark]

It was never essential except for the idiotic "social media managers" that thought it was. Once it turned out you could automate the publication of press releases to Twitter, there was a wave of pink slips.

Instagram and since then TikTok showed where the real money "brand awareness" was: product placement and endorsement by people with body image issues.

[MJI]

I tried mad blocking, nothing underneath, may chuck into hosts for a laugh

[MJI]

Best reason for not buying ads

no one will see them

[LenG]

What a pile of ...

From morbid curiousity, I just tried to access x.com. It redirected to a twitter URL and presented me with a white box.

Yhe top line had an x to leave and a fancy X

Under which it said "Sign in to Twitter"

If you are going to launch a new brand surely you should make sure to use the new name not keep thowing the old one in people's faces?

[Sorry that handle is already taken.]

Re: What a pile of ...

Musk sacked the guy who operates the Find & Replace script

[Rich 2]

Re: What a pile of ...

Re x.com

I thought single letter domain names were not allowed?

[jake]

Re: What a pile of ...

"I thought single letter domain names were not allowed?"

No, they are allowed, are RFC compliant, and nothing in DNS stops them working. Single digit, too.

However, about 30 years ago, IANA (the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority) reserved those names that hadn't been assigned yet, grandfathering in the names already in use. At some point they will no doubt make a pile of money auctioning off the unassigned names.

The always suspect Wiki actually has a fairly decent article on the subject:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Single-letter_second-level_domain

[DS999]

So he's moved on to blackmail

"Better start advertising with us, or we'll remove the gold checkmark that makes it harder for someone to impersonate your brand"

Every time we think he can't go lower, he digs.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: So he's moved on to blackmail

== Every time we think he can't go lower, he digs.

Makes you wonder why he felt the need to create The Boring Company, he does so much better just on his own.

[DS999]

Re: So he's moved on to blackmail

The Boring company digs horizontally, he digs vertically.

[MachDiamond]

Re: So he's moved on to blackmail

"The Boring company digs horizontally"

But only occasionally. They are furiously at work on their second paying job. Funny though that their faster-better machine is taking longer than other companies would spend at it.

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: So he's moved on to blackmail

It worked by giving opponents to high speed rail an 'alternative' to rally around which was only tangentially paid for by a car company

[Bebu]

Re: So he's moved on to blackmail

Every time we think he can't go lower, he digs.

I don't know his current domicile but if he gives this digging a good bit of welly I would guess he should end up in his native ZA - such a fortunate country to be so blessed.

[DS999]

Re: So he's moved on to blackmail

And if he digs there he might find gold or diamonds!

[jake]

What are these things called "ads"?

That's a question that Twitter's supposed "advertisers" would do well to ask themselves.

Seriously, advertisers ... Does YOUR grandmother/mother/daughter/granddaughter ever see ads? Why? Why not?

[Mitoo Bobsworth]

The Dunning–Kruger effect

Seems to be accelerating with this one.

[rajivdx]

Hit the 'X' button, no no, not that X...

[Fruit and Nutcase]

BOGOFF

Buy one, get one free.

3 for 2.

Alternative payment sources (crypto, bolivian marching powder) accepted.

Spend over X on advertising, get free Tesla

[MachDiamond]

Re: BOGOFF

"Alternative payment sources (crypto, bolivian marching powder) accepted."

I don't know about that. After a brief period of taking crypto, Tesla stopped and none of Elon's other companies accepts anything other than that ol' Janx Spirit (fiat currency). I've got a feeling that it opened up a can of worms that drove the accountants BSC to try and sort out.

[Charlie Clark]

Re: BOGOFF

crypto, bolivian marching powder

You've got that the wrong way round: those are the industries, and the ambulance chasers, that are still prepared to spend on the doomed platform. LWYRUP! (should be an icon)

[nautica]

"Incandescently stupid..."--Miles Taylor.

Has everyone forgotten that, no more than two weeks ago, Musk stated (not "hinted"; not "averred"; but stated, in no uncertain terms), that he is going to sue Microsoft because Microsoft has cut its advertising on the platform. Anyone heard anything further? You won't. Typical Musk.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The phrase, "incandescently stupid", is credited to Miles Taylor of the Department of Homeland Security, who used it regarding his dealings with Mr. Trump.

An uncommonly strong similarity between Trump and Musk has always been very evident.

[Bebu]

Re: "Incandescently stupid..."--Miles Taylor.

"incandescently stupid"

Trump's incandescent filament of idiocy was probaby still in the visible spectrum just nudging the UV.

I think here the stupidity probably radiating well into the X-ray part of EM spectrum (if not the gamma ray) - dare I suggest cosmologically idiotic?

[Michael Strorm]

Re: "Incandescently stupid..."--Miles Taylor.

> X-ray

Not sure if intentional?

[Ropewash]

Re: "Incandescently stupid..."--Miles Taylor.

X.com-rays are certainly part of the ElonMusk spectrum.

[Michael Strorm]

Re: "Incandescently stupid..."--Miles Taylor.

> Anyone heard anything further? You won't. Typical Musk.

Which proves he's not *quite* so incandescently stupid- or rather, brave enough- to actually put his money where his shite-spewing mouth is.

Of course, it's well-known that he'd have backtracked similarly on his announced purchase of Twitter in the same way, if he hadn't made the mistake of saying something with legally-binding consequences he was forced to follow through on.

[ravenviz]

“X” soon to be re-rebranded “Why?”!

[that one in the corner]

Miyagi say "ctrl-q, ctrl-s"

> “X” soon to be re-rebranded

That would be X-on, X-off ?

[Bebu]

Re: Miyagi say "ctrl-q, ctrl-s"

That would be X-on, X-off ?

Followed by a "break"*

*"A break condition occurs when the transmitter is holding the data line at logical 0 for too long"

[The Oncoming Scorn]

Re: Miyagi say "ctrl-q, ctrl-s"

Now I feel old.

[Snapper]

Referral

The Organisation Previously Known As Twitter

T.O.P.K.A.T.

[Fr. Ted Crilly]

Re: Referral

And now 'TwiX' perhaps ;-)

Awaiting the trademark infringement action in coming...

[AmazingPudding]

*pages Officer Dibble*

Clearly the smartest man in the room.

[trevorde]

Half price 5h!7 is still 5h!7

[Bebu]

Discount

Half price 5h!7 is still 5h!7

But with a gold tick and lipstick applied - so I hear.

I imagine the X (topkat) graphics designer is feverishly redesigning is autoreply emoji (avatar) to reflect this more upmarket turd.

As a kid I remember the Hanna-Barbera "Top Cat" cartoon character as being a really "cool cat" which the former twitmeister is decidedly not.

[Anonymous Coward]

Surely...........

.......the new name should be "Wayland"? Oh dear, "X" is so, so passed it! But then again, "X" works just fine.....but not the Twitter version!

[Arthur the cat]

Musk also said Twitter wouldn't bow to pressure from advertisers

No company should ever be forced to try to earn money from customers!!!

Give me freedom or give me Chapter 11!!!

[Anonymous Coward]

instead of "tweets"

Should postings to X now be referred to as Xcretions ?

[Anonymous Coward]

X to top off the search engines ?

Is it me or El Musky renamed that turd X because, you know, porn has always topped up the search engine since the early days of Google ?

And yes, it makes reading hard: X has done this or that ... Weird ...

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: X to top off the search engines ?

> porn has always topped up the search engine since the early days of Google ?

Does it? In my experience, this rarely- if ever- happens unless you're actively searching for it.

[jake]

Re: X to top off the search engines ?

The porn industry is actually very good at making sure they don't offend anybody who isn't actively looking for their product. They know what happens when the hand-wringers, namby-pambys and curtain-twitchers get their panties in a bunch ... With the current crop of clowns, bible-thumpers, and outright lunatics on Capitol Hill, they are keeping a lower than usual profile. No point in inflaming the sheeple any more than necessary

The various search engines cooperate with them in this, usually not displaying obvious porn links in searches that aren't blatantly looking for it. Also, most search engines have an option to turn on "mature content"[0] in results, leaving it off by default.

If you want it, it is there. If you do not, it isn't. This is how it should be ... filter with your wetware, that's what it's there for.

No, I'm not a porn aficionado. Dots don't do it for me, be it pixels or halftones. Not enough senses involved.

_{[0] Why do they call it "mature content" when it's mostly teenage boys who partake?}

[Yet Another Anonymous coward]

Re: X to top off the search engines ?

They are re-thinking the X branding to a more serif-fed font, just adding a little right angle tail to the each end of the X

[MachDiamond]

Re: X to top off the search engines ?

"The porn industry is actually very good at making sure they don't offend anybody who isn't actively looking for their product."

They do seem to think that anybody looking for some software, a TV show or a movie "on the left" is also keen to see an adult performance as well. Many of the bittorrent sites are crammed with ads for that sort of thing.

[AmazingPudding]

He should join Oracle.

A marriage made in rapidly failing crashing and burning heaven.

[aerogems]

Re: He should join Oracle.

He's already buddies with Ellison, and I'm sure if he ever gets ousted from Tesla (like he should have been several times over by now) he'll land a cushy do-nothing job at Oracle just like Mark Hurd. Though it would be funny if the condition was that he couldn't tweet anymore. But maybe Twitler will get into yacht racing with Ellison and the two can spend their days annoying other rich assholes and sparing us the torment of even remembering they exist.

[CowHorseFrog]

This is bullshit. Why is twitter.com still working and why havent they completed the job of switching to x.com ?

[Anonymous Coward]

As Mum used to say…

This will end in tears.