Microsoft ad platforms end support of Twitter tomorrow

As of tomorrow, Microsoft Advertising and “Smart Campaigns with Multi-platform will no longer support Twitter.” The move comes four days before the social media platform will begin charging enterprise users at least $42,000 a month to access its API.

Why we care. This wasn’t a cost-saving move by Microsoft. It could easily have afforded the $42,000+/month Twitter wants for its API. This is a further indication of Twitter’s declining relevance to marketers. What advertisers want most in an advertising platform is the one thing Twitter’s mercurial owner Elon Musk has never been able to provide: stability. 

Dig deeper: Twitter’s demise would cost marketers an important, useful channel

What is happening. The action means users can’t access their Twitter account through Microsoft’s Digital Marketing Center’s social media management tool. They also won’t be able to view their past tweets and engagement on the Microsoft Advertising platform. Users will still be able to manage and create content for Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn.

When it happened. Microsoft’s announcement came the day after Musk made another attempt to lure back advertisers.  

“We’re trying to achieve here a sensible middle ground, or we’re trying to satisfy a range of things, which is how to ensure the public has their voice,” Musk said at an industry event in Florida, “but also that you’re able to serve your brands and improve the perception of your brands, and your sales as well.”

Almost 90% of Twitter’s revenue in 2021 came from advertising. In the first quarter of this year, 61 of the platform’s 100 biggest advertisers reduced their spending by at least 80%; 37 of them appear to have spent nothing, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

Musk responds. In response, Musk threatened to sue Microsoft, claiming the tech giant illegally used Twitter data to train its AI. 

Microsoft is a major investor in OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, and therefore responsible for deciding what data it was trained on. Musk co-founded OpenAI in 2015 but sold off his stake several years later. As of today, there are no indications that a lawsuit has been filed.