The Final Straw: Why Fox + Hare Is Cutting Ties with X, And Why Your Brand Should Too

If you’re a brand or an agency that still maintains a presence on X (formerly Twitter) then last week’s announcement by the World Federation of Advertisers that they’re closing their non-profit monitoring project - in response to a legal threat from Elon Musk - should be the wake-up call you need to leave the platform permanently.

It’s taken a while to get here, but we’ve now passed the point of no return: here’s why it’s finally time to delete your account (and why we’re doing the same).

Anyone who uses X / Twitter will know how profoundly things have changed since Musk bought the company in 2022. Policy changes and corporate restructuring, supposedly concerned with protecting freedom of speech and profitability, have instead transformed the site beyond recognition.

From animal abuse videos to deepfake porn, the volume of illegal and / or harmful content proliferating across what we once called the Twittersphere has become unmanageable. Recent far-right riots in the UK have been a stark example of this, with unchecked online disinformation catalysing real-world mob violence, spurred on by figures like Tommy Robinson (banned from Twitter in 2019 but reinstated by X) and Elon himself enthusiastically sharing content from neo-fascist hate group Britain First.

This in itself is enough to give any self-respecting advertiser pause for thought. Who wants to be associated with any of that? How can anyone claim that X is a safe or useable space for brands and audiences, when they’re not just allowing but actively encouraging this kind of discourse?

Elon’s flirtations with the far-right and failure to moderate or manage X properly are one thing. His aggressive responses to advertisers addressing that problem should be the final nail in the coffin.

Set up by the WFA in the wake of the 2019 Christchurch attacks, the Global Alliance for Responsible Media has helped brands ensure that their content doesn’t inadvertently appear next to illegal material, including terrorism or child sexual abuse. And with X increasingly proving hospitable to these kinds of materials, advertising spend on the platform has fallen precipitously since 2022. Musk has taken this shift as a personal affront, portraying brands as “blackmailing” the platform by choosing to place their ad spend elsewhere, and claiming that GARM is part of a shadowy conspiracy to undermine his business.

This level of paranoia would be grimly hilarious, if it hadn’t also resulted in Musk’s legal threats forcing GARM to close permanently, denying companies the opportunity to make more informed choices about where they spend their money. 

Plenty of brands talk about purpose and positive impact, but ultimately only our actions really count: whether looked at from the perspective of commercial reputation, consumer safety, value for money, ethical principles or just basic common sense, there’s no longer any rational argument that working with or advertising on X offers a safe return on any brand or agency’s investment.

Of course, we wouldn’t say this without taking a stand too. At Fox + Hare, we’re no longer going to take on any client work that involves working with or advertising on X: as far as we’re concerned, it’s no longer a justifiable use of our clients’ time, effort or money. We think it’s time other agencies and brands came to the same conclusion.