GB: 44% of X/Twitter users find ads on the platform less trustworthy

When it comes to executing a marketing strategy, understanding why your competitors’ customers are choosing them over you can be just as valuable as knowing your own brand’s strengths.

Targeted audience analysis can help marketers understand the ins and outs of a highly specific group - from X/Twitter users to mobile gamers; from Heineken drinkers to Honda drivers - allowing you to position your brand or product in the right place to take advantage.

Using its targeting capabilities, YouGov Self-serve - our fully self-serviced research platform - allows marketers to quickly, easily and cheaply survey an audience and ask them whatever they want.

In just a few clicks, you can target an audience of your choice (including customers of one or more of 1,500 brands in Great Britain or 2,200 brands in US), and then create your custom poll using our easy survey builder. Within 24 hours, you could have the answers that make the difference between failure and success for your upcoming product launch, brand campaign or crisis management strategy.

Earlier last month the UK government made a business decision to opt out of advertising on X/Twitter, while continuing to advertise heavily on Facebook and Instagram. The government joins a growing list of organisations suspending ads on the Elon Musk-owned social media platform following a string of controversies.

Curious about the habits and sentiments of X users in Great Britain, especially towards the effectiveness of advertisements on the platform, a recent survey by YouGov Surveys: Self-serve, our fully self-service survey-building platform, polled 500 X members to gain insights, using the tool’s ‘Customer of’ function.

But before we dig into that, we asked users why they were visiting the site. Over the past six months, more than half of X users in Britain (52%) have utilised the platform to stay informed about news topics. Following closely, 32% used X to learn about events. Engaging in conversations with others is also a notable use case for many, with 27% of members saying they use it in this way. A quarter (24%) visited or followed a brand’s X/Twitter account in the last quarter.

User perceptions of ads on X/Twitter

When asked about the ease of distinguishing ads from regular content on X/Twitter, most users say that they find it simple to do so. . Nearly half of respondents (47%) find it fairly easy, and 13% find it very easy. However, challenges persist with 19% indicating that it's fairly difficult and 6% finding it very difficult to discern between sponsored content and regular posts.

The survey delves deeper into users' overall perception of the advertising landscape on X. A significant share (50%) thinks there is an excess of ads, compared to other platforms and ads that they use. On the flip side, 29% feel the current ad volume is just right, while 21% are unsure either way.

One intriguing aspect of user perception revolves around brand quality. When questioned about whether the brands that advertise on X are of higher, lower, or the same quality as those on other platforms, 39% feel the quality is lower, while only 2% believe it is higher. However, more than a third (36%) perceive the quality to be about the same.

Trust in the ads on Xis low compared to those seen on other platforms. A mere 4% find them more trustworthy, while a substantial 44% consider them less trustworthy. About a third (35%) believe X ads are about as trustworthy as those on other platforms. This trust deficit poses a potential challenge for advertisers looking to establish credibility in the Twitterverse.

While Twitter remains a prominent source for news and events, adapting strategies to enhance credibility and engagement is essential in overcoming user scepticism amid ongoing controversies.

Methodology: YouGov polled 500 GB adults who are members of X/Twitter on December 8, 2023. The survey was carried out through YouGov Surveys: Self-serve. Data is weighted by age, gender, race, political affiliation, education level and region. Learn more about YouGov Surveys: Self-serve.

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