Advertisers will return to Twitter if a few core conditions are met, ad guru says - CNBC

Ad guru Maurice Levy said Friday that the bulk of advertisers are apt to instrumentality to Elon Musk's overhauled Twitter — connected the proviso that a fewer cardinal conditions are met.

Describing the level arsenic being astatine a crossroads of "complete freedom" — which could effect either successful chaos oregon amended oversight — Levy told CNBC that astir advertisers are presently successful "wait and see" mode to find Musk's eventual position.

"They are successful a position, for the immense bulk of them, of hold and see," said Levy, who is president of the supervisory committee of Publicis Group, the world's third-largest advertizing and communications company.

"It is an country of implicit freedom, which tin pb to chaos. Or volition it beryllium thing which volition beryllium amended controlled and the moderation volition enactment correctly?," helium told CNBC's Charlotte Reed astatine the 2022 Conference de Paris.

Musk acquired Twitter for $44 billion successful precocious October pursuing a drawn retired ineligible conflict with the company, and has since sought to radically overhaul the platform, including its contented moderation policies.

That has spooked galore advertisers, with half of Twitter's apical 100 advertisers present estimated to person near the level since Musk took over.

Still, Levy said helium expects that the immense bulk volition yet instrumentality if the institution tin guarantee them that it volition mean contented and safeguard antiauthoritarian freedoms and plurality of opinion.

"They are a small spot acrophobic astir what volition hap to the moderation, what volition hap astir the content," said Levy.

"If determination is simply a objection that it's moving well, I deliberation that astir advertisers who person decided to reason volition travel back," helium continued.

"If the concern is not what we are expecting — which is antiauthoritarian position, plurality of opinion, and the anticipation of having thing which is not starring to extremism, and we don't spot immoderate look of racism etc., — I judge that if we are backmost to thing much controlled, advertisers volition get backmost to Twitter," Levy added.

Levy's comments travel conscionable hours aft Twitter connected Thursday evening suddenly suspended respective high-profile journalists who screen the level and Musk.