X Tests New Ad Display Which Would Be the Best Choice

You may have noticed a change in the ads displayed in the X app recently. The regular ‘Promoted’ signifier disappears from the bottom of the post and gets replaced by a small ‘Ad’ marker at the top right.

It appears dated an ad approach for the newly re-branded app. It could make promoted posts look natural and lessen their impact in-stream.

It probably is not a minor, although users will question whether this new ad display meets the FTC disclosure guidelines.

And indeed, if it will meet similar specifications in other regions too, particularly in EU states.

The current FTC requirements state that all ads must be ’clearly and conspicuously’ signalled in-app. Although the previous terminology referred to ‘clearly and prominently,’ the FTC now equates the two definitions.

You could argue that the ‘Ad’ tag is clear enough in this respect, and it might meet all the FTC guidelines, but Google has come under scrutiny in times past over its promoted links in Search.

It has not always been as defined for consumers as the FTC would like.

The X app is much smaller and more conspicuous. The ‘Ad’ tag could get another look from FTC analysts, especially when considering the FTC’s ongoing push to get online influencers to state their brand affiliations on paid partnerships clearly.

In particular, the FTC has said that hashtags influencers use to signify brand partnerships are often insufficient and don’t communicate the nature of the promotional relationship.

With this in mind, it does seem like the ‘X’ app is shifting away from the more prominent ‘Promoted’ tag. It has its line at the bottom of the post and could come under scrutiny. It will be interesting to see the ruling on this shift.

And as noted, it is before you consider potential challenges in other regions and how regulators in those regions might view the change.

At this stage, X is merely experimenting with the new format as part of its broader reformation program. But it will lead to an updated ad display, and it could improve ad response. Or not.

You can click here to learn about any further updates in the ‘X’ app and all the new updates on other social media platforms.