Will Twitter’s ad ban shift the spotlight to influencers in the political scene?
According to most industry heads, the decision is due to backlash social media platforms have been facing for propagating political agenda & not because they are not interested in advertising dollars

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s announcement to ban all political ads globally on the social media platform has led to varied discussions both in the political and advertising spectrums.
While Twitter’s move has received deeply divided reactions in the West, Indian industry leaders have stuck to the stance that the announcement will not cause too much of a ripple in the domestic ad scenario. According to most industry heads, the decision is an answer to the backlash social media platforms have been facing for propagating political agenda and not because they are not interested in the advertising dollars. Several experts were also of the opinion that despite the ban, Twitter would continue to be a politically charged space and the role of influencers will now assume importance on that front.
Ashish Bhasin, CEO, APAC and Chairman India, Dentsu Aegis Network, said, “I think the social media platforms have become very aware of what taking political stances does to their image, because there has been a vocal public backlash in several cases, not just by the public, but even the employees of some of these networks have expressed a strong point of view. So, I think it's more in response to that, that organizations like Twitter are taking these decisions because of the public opinion and the environment in which they're operating. It's not to do with not wanting the political dollars in my view.”
On the other hand, media expert Anita Nayyar said: “There are enough examples in the West where the influence social media has on the voting audiences is so much that the political battlefield has seen some very shocking outcomes. The influence social media has on people, where the fake news syndrome can also cause a lot of damage to the political system, is one of the most compelling reasons for saying no to political ads and hence political money.”
Sharing his views on the influence of personalities in social media, Akshay Popawala, Co-founder and Director, Digital Communication & Strategy, Togglehead, said: “Twitter has always provided a direct link between known personalities and their followers. Keeping this mature and authentic position in mind, it has a key role to play in amplifying content, both true and false.”
“The ban, I believe, does not wipe out Twitter from the communication funnel of political parties or candidates. However, it does promote transparency,” Popawala added.
Coming to the Indian scenario, Sanjay Mehta, Joint CEO of Mirum India, said, “Political parties in India will also need to look beyond Twitter for their advertising. Having said that, the organic form of advertising as well as guerrilla advertising using influencer programmes may still continue and could be used strategically used for political promotions on Twitter.”
In a series of 11 straightforward Tweets, Jack Dorsey announced their decision to ban all political ads globally on the social media platform. “A political message earns reach when people decide to follow an account or retweet. Paying for reach removes that decision, forcing highly optimized and targeted political messages on people. We believe this decision should not be compromised by money,” the Twitter CEO’s post said.
This move by Twitter is in stark contrast to Facebook’s stance on political ads so far.
Interestingly, the announcement by the Twitter Head came just an hour before Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was to announce the company’s quarterly earnings on Wednesday. This prompted Zuckerberg to not only defend his company’s decision on not wanting to curb free speech but to also downplay the earnings from political advertising. “We estimate that the ads from politicians will be less than 0.5% of our revenue next year,” he said.
Is this move set to change the political ad scenario in India, especially before the upcoming polls in the national capital early next year? Most said no.
According to BJP’s IT cell Head Amit Malviya, “We are quite indifferent to Twitter’s decision to ban political ads. It is Twitter’s prerogative how they want to run their business. Our strength on the platform is completely organic. It is also desirable if there is greater transparency around Twitter’s user policies as they have often come under question for leaning towards a specific political worldview.”
Most political experts felt the development from Twitter is only an idyllic move. “If we were to not buy reach, then there should be a ban on television, print and radio ads too. Only then we can assure an organic reach. Having said that it is a good start,” said Naresh Arora, Director at DesignBoxed, the creative agency appointed by the Congress party for most of its social media campaigns.
Twitter ads cost 5 times the ads on other social media platforms and hence are used conservatively by political parties, Arora said. “Hardly 10 per cent of total social media spends is on Twitter as the platform doesn’t have a vote changing capacity like many of its counterparts,” he added.
It is now to be seen how the ban pans out and if it really affects the Indian scenario.
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E4M Our strategy is to target younger audiences through Sports: Rajiv Dubey, Dabur
The Head of Media at Dabur India spoke exclusively to exchange4media on the World Cup, associating with Indian Idol, the company’s digital spending and much more
With quirky campaigns, memes and moment marketing, timed with the ongoing World Cup and particularly the India-Pakistan matches, Dabur India has got considerable consumer attention for its popular brands – Red Paste, Cool King Hair Oil, Chyawanprash, Dabur Vita and the recently launched Bae Fresh Gel toothpaste.
The 140-year-old company is going big on key sporting events, World Television Premiere (WTP) movies and reality shows. It is now gearing up to become the title sponsor of popular talent show ‘Indian Idol’ on Sony TV for the first time, shared Rajiv Dubey, who leads the media strategy at Dabur.
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Swapan Seth's new book 'COOL' is out
The book is a reflection of the author's 'eclectic taste across categories'
Advertising professional and art collector Swapan Seth has announced the launch of his new book COOL. The book is described as "a ready reckoner to the hip and the happening, of the known and the very unknown."
The book is a reflection of the author's "eclectic taste across categories: from boltholes to exotic hideaways."
COOL has been published by Simon & Schuster India and is available on Amazon.
Seth is an ad veteran with a long and illustrious career in the industry. He became the youngest-ever Creative Director at Clarion at age 24. He was VP at 26 at Trikaya Grey. Two years later, he started his agency Equus.
He writes for publications such as The Economic Times, Hindustan Times and India Today. This is his second book and he has previously published THIS IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY.
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Disney Star signs 9 sponsors for Asia Cup PAK
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up come on board
e4m Staff Disney Star has signed nine broadcast and digital streaming sponsors for the upcoming Asia Cup.
Charged by Thums Up, Nerolac Paint+, Amazon Pay, Jindal Panther, My11Circle, MRF, Samsung Galaxy Z Flip5, Wild Stone and Thums Up have come on board for the upcoming tournament.
As reported earlier by exchange4media, Disney Star has sought Rs 26 crore for the co-presenting sponsorship on TV and Rs 30 crore for Disney+ Hotstar.
According to industry sources, the associate sponsorship on Star Sports has been priced at Rs 19.66 crore, whereas for the ‘powered by’ sponsorship on Disney+ Hotstar, the broadcaster is seeking Rs 18 crore.
As per the information available with exchange4media, Disney+ Hotstar has three sponsorship tiers-- co-presenting (Rs 30 crore), powered by (Rs 18 crore) and associate sponsorship (Rs 12 crore). The broadcaster is offering an estimated reach of 120-140 million for co-presenting sponsors, 90-100 million for powered by and 60-70 million for associate sponsorship.
A spot buy for 10 seconds has been priced at Rs 25 lakh for the India vs Pakistan matches, while for the non-India matches, the ad rate for 10 second is Rs 2.3 lakh. The India matches plus the final for ODIs has been priced at Rs 17 lakh per 10 seconds.
Asia Cup is scheduled to be held from 30 August, 2023, to September 17, 2023.
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Sorted 360 wins creative & social media mandate of Reliance Mall
The agency will manage offline and online campaigns for Reliance Mall
Sorted 360, an integrated creative and social media agency, has won the mandate to providing brand solutions for Reliance Malls across India.
“Sorted 360 is set to enhance Reliance Malls' market presence with their unparalleled creative prowess and strategic thinking,” read a press release.
“Sorted 360's commitment to pushing the boundaries of creative communication aligns perfectly with Reliance Malls' ethos. With a pan-India presence spanning across 19 cities and growing, Reliance Malls has consistently captivated customers by offering an array of Reliance brands and third-party fashion & lifestyle brands. The mall has established an unparalleled connection with its patrons through superior quality, a remarkable value proposition, and an unmatched shopping experience,” it read further.
"We are thrilled to welcome Sorted 360 as our trusted partner in advancing our brand presence across the nation," said the Head of Marketing at Relaice Malls. "Their proven expertise in retail, shopping center management, and innovative creative strategies make them the perfect fit for our vision."
"Partnering with Reliance Malls is a testament to our commitment to shaping extraordinary brand experiences," remarked Prerana Anatharam, Co-founder of Sorted 360. "We are excited to leverage our strategic and creative acumen to further elevate Reliance Malls as the epitome of convenience, choice, and excellence."
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KlugKlug onboards Hemang Mehta as Country Manager for Indias
Mehta was most recently Head of Agency Relationships at Network 18 Media & Investments
KlugKlug has appointed Hemang Mehta as its Country Manager for India.
Mehta will play a pivotal role in driving KlugKlug's growth and expansion within the Indian market and be responsible for Sales & GTM Strategy
Prior to that, he has also represented organisations like Exponential (now VDX.tv), India Today Digital and Rediff.com. His expertise spans various domains including digital media sales, mobile marketing, media planning, and buying, social media marketing, and more.
Hemang Mehta expressed his enthusiasm about joining KlugKlug, saying, "I am thrilled to be a part of KlugKlug, a forward-thinking platform that is reshaping the influencer marketing landscape. As much as I look forward to collaborating with the exuberant team at KlugKlug, I am super excited to interact with the brands to deliver powerful data-backed Influencer solutions that will guarantee business outcomes."
Commenting on the appointment, Kalyan Kumar, Co-Founder and CEO of KlugKlug, stated, "We are excited to welcome Hemang Mehta to our team as the Country Manager for India. His extensive experience in digital media sales and marketing will be instrumental in driving our efforts to provide influencer marketing solutions to our clients. We believe Hemang's leadership will be key in scaling our operations and expanding our reach within the Indian market."
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