X recently revealed that a partnership had been formed to enhance brand safety precautions for advertisers on the platform. This move is particularly significant as the social media platform has encountered declines in its advertising revenue since its acquisition by tech billionaire Elon Musk last year.
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SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA - JULY 31: A large X logo is visible on the roof of X headquarters on July 31, 2023 in San Francisco, California.
X Introduces New Sensitivity Settings
X is offering advertisers fresh avenues to influence the type of content accompanying their advertisements. Previously known as Twitter, X announced that it had introduced an innovative feature called "sensitivity settings," granting advertisers the ability to select various ad content filters.
Utilizing this innovative tool, X has outlined its approach, stating that it will leverage machine learning to minimize the proximity of content based on a brand's designated sensitivity threshold for an upcoming campaign.
Currently, advertisers can choose between two distinct settings: "conservative" and "standard." It is important to note that X emphasized its commitment to upholding content integrity.
The company noted that irrespective of advertisers' preferences, any content that violates platform rules will be automatically excluded from appearing alongside ads.
Under the most restrictive "conservative" setting, ads would be excluded from appearing near "targeted hate speech, sexual content, gratuitous gore, excessive profanity, obscenity, spam, and drugs" in the "for You" timeline.
The "standard" option would avoid the same topics, but allow spam and drug-related content, according to an example shared by X. The company also plans to add a "relaxed" setting for advertisers who want to "maximize reach" of their ads with the fewest limits on what can appear nearby.
According to Forbes, this reaffirms X's dedication to maintaining a high standard of content alignment and ensuring a consistent and brand-appropriate advertising environment.
By offering different degrees of content filtration, X empowers advertisers to strike a balance between reaching a wider audience and ensuring that its ads are associated with content that suits its brand identity and values.
Elon Musk Efforts to Bring Advertisers Back
These enhanced controls come at a time when X is making concerted efforts to reestablish its appeal to advertisers. Following Elon Musk's assumption of leadership, the company's advertising revenue has experienced a significant 50 percent decline.
Engadget reported that this downturn can be attributed to brands scaling back their investments due to apprehensions regarding hate speech and objectionable content proliferating on the platform.
In response, various watchdog groups have highlighted instances where ads from prominent brands appeared adjacent to content associated with neo-Nazi accounts, Holocaust deniers, and users with a history of suspension.
The introduction of this new tool signifies X's determination to create a more secure and advertiser-friendly environment. By affording advertisers greater control over their content adjacency, the company aims to address the concerns that have eroded advertiser confidence.
This strategic move underscores X's commitment to ensuring that advertising campaigns align more closely with brands' values and avoid undesirable content associations.
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