Robert Rakowitz’s Post

Very nice! Would GARM remove Twitter from its alliance if it failed to uphold brand safety standards?

Great Robert Rakowitz - can we also take this time to review the GARM framework and how News is referenced 22 times as being medium to high risk (or in the eyes of advertisers "risk" therefore "block news"). Meanwhile "Social Media" media platforms nor "User Generated Content" which equate to the highest risks are not referenced once. If brands and advertisers are concerned with running on social media platforms this Q4 due to the continued rampant spread of hate speech and disinformation, there are plenty of Newsrooms that will appreciate your media ad spend support. I also suggest cleaning up your own keyword lists and targeting with the likes of IAS/DoubleVerify (their scare tactic pitches have gone on long enough). Good news is that it looks like Elon is already speaking with the EU regulators, but not sure we can expect the same in the US. https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-elon-musk-reached-out-eu-chief-assure-content-policing-compliance-2022-10-31/ If anyone is heading to the Google summit this week, I look forward to speaking with you about this topic. New Agencies that you can reach out to and shift your ad spend to supporting Newsrooms: Guy Griggs Tracy Wise Alex Mason Paige Hart-Smith Zip Nguyen

This is a well-reasoned letter and one that could and should be taken to heart by any reasonable leader of a social media platform, Robert. Unfortunately, though, even in the last 24 hours, we’ve seen Musk HIMSELF spread conspiracies that would never be brand safe under the GARM framework or any framework. I applaud the effort here, but it appears that Musk has bought Twitter not to create an open and equitable platform that is safe for advertisers, but one that will ultimately undermine the concept of truth so that powerful people can get away with anything. I’d love to be proven wrong, but feel like our industry is largely ill equipped to handle a threat like this and, until Musk proves otherwise, advertisers should sit this out.

So inspiring 🥰 I hope Elmo writes you back soon!

I’d say this has already failed not only with historical activity since the more recent election, now with the contradictory activity that Twitter has allowed from its current owner to Kanye being well forgotten, which IMO is well over due. This letter is IMO not an action just a grievance to garner clicks in LinkedIn. We must do more than post something for clicks or likes we must resolve for action in stopping all business with business that promotes hate against any religion, ethnicity or humanity in general. To partner with an irresponsible entity that continues to not honor simple hate filters, is in itself a contradiction. To put it mildly if the company can filter for one ad that mentions homes or real estate. They can absolutely instantly block any words related to hate. The end.

I'm very skeptical of the use of terms like "safety" to describe speech and expression issues. In the letter, you use the word in two ways: one is "brand safety", which I think we all understand to be about branding concerns and avoiding risks to brand integrity by showing ads alongside offensive content. Fair enough. The other use includes phrases like "digital media safety" and "platform safety". The implication of those terms is suspect. Social media platforms, after all, have used "safety" in this same context to justify censoring a broad swath of political views. Twitter's past censorship is ostensibly the reason Musk was moved to make an offer to buy Twitter in the first place, and I admire him for doing it. Creating an environment that advertisers feel is low risk for their brands is important to advertisers, but is in conflict with the far more important societal and cultural values of freedom of expression and conscience. Users choose the content they view, and if advertisers aren't comfortable that their customers and prospects might see their ads alongside content the advertiser considers objectionable, they can go back to running CPM ads on established media properties with rigid editorial standards.

This is so very well crafted. Well done, Robert Rakowitz. Congratulations and, on behalf of the entire advertising industry, thank you!

I don't trust musk! he'$ only about money. he has no morals and i'm hoping twitter will just turn to dust. #AdvertisersBoycottTwitter

How many brands pulling their ad dollars from the platform will it take for Elon to wise up?

Good letter. What's your next move now that Musk has violated, in the last 5 days, all the principles that you mentioned in it?