Twitter’s Linda Yaccarino appointment impresses ad industry though some raise doubts

Poaching NBCUniversal’s advertising sales leader, Linda Yaccarino, to be the new CEO of Twitter “sends a strong signal of reinvention to the market: we are here for brands”.

This was the view expressed by Interbrand North America chief growth officer Andrew Miller, and has proved to be the consensus among a wide range of adland voices polled by Campaign.

Dentsu Media US chief investment officer Cara Lewis echoed: “Linda Yaccarino is a proven advertising leader, who can help refocus Twitter and bring more brand safety, suitability and responsibility to the platform in her new role as CEO.”

“[Her experience] will help bring back the handful of advertisers that got spooked away in recent months and her network will include direct connections to all the CMOs at the top brands,” Havas Media Group UK head of programmatic and paid social Seb Redenz observed.

Among those “spooked” brands are the likes of General Motors, Coca-Cola and Volkswagen, which paused their promotional activity on Twitter in the wake of Elon Musk dismantling much of the work the previous management had done in content moderation and brand safety.

Compared with spending before Musk completed his takeover in October, the platform’s top 10 advertisers slashed their outlay by 89%, according to research firm Pathmatics, as he prioritised freedom of speech over commercial considerations.

Yaccarino “will certainly have her work cut out to reinstil a sense of trust and safety for advertisers”, according to Yvonne O’Brien, CMO at advertising research specialist Zappi.

“Appointing a CEO with an advertising background surely signals where Elon Musk sees both the problem with Twitter, and the opportunity,” Jem Lloyd-Williams, UK chief executive of WPP media agency Mindshare, said.

However, he added: “How Yaccarino can build trust in the platform as a ‘safe’ environment without Mr Musk interfering is the challenge.”

This conflict was also highlighted by Jamie Ray, co-founder of influencer marketing agency Buttermillk, who said: “Linda Yaccarino is in many ways an unexpected choice, given Musk’s insistence on deregulating the platform in a bid to encourage freedom of speech.

“Yaccarino takes an opposing view and has openly stated that Twitter must increase moderation in a bid to bring advertisers back to the platform … it will be interesting to see the freedom she is afforded to execute her strategic vision for Twitter – Musk’s political ideals will have to take a backseat.”

Others highlighted differences between the business culture Yaccarino comes from and that found at Twitter. For example, Havas Media’s Redenz highlighted how Musk had picked “someone who explicitly does not have a Silicon Valley or social media CV”, though he also said Yaccarino has navigated Turner Broadcasting and NBC Universal through the advents of the internet and mobile.

Sharper doubts were raised by Tribal Worldwide head of strategic planning Mark Geden, who, despite praising her “proven track record”, worried: “Yaccarino has spent her entire career in traditional media and does not have the skills or knowledge needed to quickly adapt and lead Twitter's advertising business model."

He added: “She may be too corporate. Yaccarino has a reputation for being a tough negotiator and a hard-driving executive. This may not fit neatly into Twitter, which is known for a more laid-back culture.

“She doesn’t naturally fit with Twitter's mission. Twitter's mission is to ‘give everyone the power to create and share ideas and information instantly, without barriers’ and Yaccarino's expected focus, to drive up advertising revenue, may give those already disillusioned employees and users yet another reason to abandon ship – and join all those heading over to BlueSky and alike.”