Twitter Blue is Elon Musk's flagship initiative for the new version of his social network. However, Twitter's fee-based subscription is getting a warm welcome from brands. According to a study, a majority of them aren't interesting in paying a single cent for a verified account.

To get verified status, you have to pay. But brands aren't a fan of the concept. Capterra's survey of 300 US marketing and advertising professionals found that 53% of them are unlikely to pay the $8 monthly subscription fee to get a verified account on Twitter.

Fifty-one percent of those surveyed acknowledged that account verification is "very important." Three out of five merchants even felt that losing their Twitter certification badge could have a significant impact on their advertising and social media goals.

Brands would rather put their money towards better promotion of their content (58%), better targeting of users (56%) and better security (43%) rather than verification (41%)..

With the rise of trolling commentary and misinformation, many brands are rethinking their need to be on Twitter. While 23% have already suspended ads on the platform, 36% plan to do so. Sixty-five percent of advertisers on Twitter said ads on the platform are currently "risky" for their brand. Yet 60% of respondents plan to increase their ad spend on Twitter in the next six months, and 61% also plan to do the same on other online platforms. Only 21% plan to decrease their budget.

While many online users predicted the death of Twitter, some brands are increasingly turning to Instagram (76%), Facebook (75%) and TikTok (60%). This is followed by Youtube (57%), LinkedIn (37%), Reddit (29%), Snapchat (27%), Pinterest (23%) and Twitch (20%).

 - AFP Relaxnews