Twitter launches conversation settings for ads, gives brands more control

Twitter on Tuesday launched conversation settings for advertisements, giving brands greater control over how they engage with customers. 

Launched globally in August last year, conversation settings have given Twitter users more control over who can reply or engage with their tweets. This has now been extended to brands. 

"We know that the feature has been received really well - since launch in Q3 2020, 11 million people have applied conversation settings to 70 million conversations globally. We understand that as advertisers talk to their customers on Twitter, they may need control over their conversations too. That is why today we are excited to share that we have made it easier for brands to curate their conversations with the introduction of conversation settings for ads via compose Tweets directly through Tweet Composer or through our Ads API," said Kanika Mittal, Business Head, Twitter India. 

This update will extend the ability to apply conversation settings to promoted-only tweets and to those that use our most popular ad formats, in addition to organic tweets, she added. 

Conversation settings can now be applied to any tweet format offered within the microblogging platform's Tweet Composer and can be promoted in any type of campaign, it said in a blog. 

To enable the feature, tweets will default to “Everyone can reply”. If an advertiser wants to change these settings, they can do so by selecting their preference from the dropdown - either of the options between ‘People you follow’ or ‘Only people you mention’. The rest of the Tweet can then be created as it normally would. Once the tweet is published, the chosen settings will then be applied.

"The new settings will also allow for creative experimentation when brands curate experiences on Twitter. Especially when collaborating with other creators - hosting discussions or Tweet chats with experts and influencers on the service, curating tweet threads to tell an interesting tale or loop people in for an exciting experience, or engage in cross-brand banter to  spark a conversation or participate in a trend, Conversation Settings will allow brands to innovate while also giving them increased control over the kind of experience they’re creating," said Mittal. 

In addition, Twitter is also looking at third-party brand safety measurement solutions to give advertisers a better understanding of the types of content that appear adjacent to their ads. It also committed to undergoing the accreditation process across all four of the Media Rating Council’s (MRC) offered Accreditation Services: Viewability, Sophisticated Invalid Traffic Filtration, Audience Measurement and Brand Safety. 

Mittal said Twitter has successfully earned the Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) Brand Safety Certified Seal, which covers Twitter’s global operations. 

"The TAG Brand Safety Certified program sets global brand safety standards that are an important independent validation of the policies and processes Twitter has in place to minimize ad misplacement," she added.