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SpaceX is buying Starlink satellite internet ads on Twitter

With advertisers axing their deals with Twitter, Elon Musk's SpaceX has bought an ad campaign on the platform.

Donovan Erskine

November 14, 2022 7:40 AM

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Elon Musk’s decision to add account verification as a Twitter Blue perk predictably led to an array of troll and parody accounts impersonating brands, celebrities, government officials, and other public figures. With it being harder to distinguish legitimate sources of information, several companies have started to pull their ads from the social media platform. Now, Elon Musk’s SpaceX has purchased some major ad space on Twitter.

It was reported by CNBC that SpaceX, another Musk-owned company, had purchased ad space on Twitter. The campaign will promote Starlink, the company’s satellite internet service that’s currently available in 40 countries. The specific ad package purchased is reportedly one of the more expensive options, typically running for around $250,000. It will bring SpaceX ads to the top of Twitter timelines for an entire day.

The news of SpaceX acquiring ad space on Twitter immediately raised eyebrows. An Elon Musk-owned company spending hundreds of thousands of dollars in ad space on another Musk-owned platform raises clear ethical and legal concerns. Furthermore, this comes at a time when longtime Twitter advertisers are backing away from the company following continued turmoil and uncertainty at the social media company. It’s worth noting that SpaceX does not have a history of advertising on Twitter.

Elon Musk has yet to provide any comment on the move to take out Twitter ad space with SpaceX. As Twitter continues to struggle to maintain advertisers, it will be interesting to see if SpaceX acquires additional campaigns, or if Musk brings Tesla into the advertising fold as well. It’s just the latest chapter in Twitter’s story after the Elon Musk takeover, which recently saw Twitter Blue subscriptions suspended after it was used to impersonate celebrities and brands. For the latest updates on the ongoing Twitter saga, Shacknews is following the situation closely.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a young journalist from Maryland, who likes to game. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge Scream nerd and film fanatic that will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_