Confidence in the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) has dropped sharply, according to Kantar’s Media Reaction 2024 report.
The report highlights that worries such as brand safety, trust and innovation are among the main reasons why marketers are moving away from spending money advertising on X. 26% of marketers plan to reduce ad spending on the platform in 2025, making this the biggest decline among major global advertising platforms.
Kantar’s research, based on input from 18,000 consumers across 27 markets and 1,000 senior marketers, shows that YouTube remains the top advertising platform for brands. Among consumers, Amazon and TikTok tied for first, with Amazon ads seen as more useful and TikTok ads viewed as more entertaining. Under Elon Musk’s leadership, marketers’ trust in X’s advertising has dropped to 12% in 2024, plummeting from 22% in 2022. Only 4% of marketers feel X provides sufficient brand safety, while Google tops the list with 39%.
X also failed to make the global top ten platform for trust and perceived innovation. Meanwhile, TikTok continues to lead as the most innovative platform for the fifth straight year and, along with YouTube, is one of the most trusted platforms when it comes to advertisers.
Despite their popularity with consumers, neither Amazon nor TikTok ranked in the top five advertising platforms for marketers. Netflix, now included in Kantar’s rankings, made its debut in the top five for both marketers and consumers.
Kantar’s Global Thought Leadership Director, Gonca Bubani, noted, “Marketers have been shifting away from X for several years, and the rapid acceleration of this trend makes a turnaround unlikely. X’s unpredictability makes it difficult for brands to feel secure on the platform. Interestingly, fewer ads on X might improve the experience for its users.”
