Regardless of shedding thousands and thousands of customers to different apps, regardless of shedding thousands and thousands of {dollars} in advert income, and regardless of struggling to construct its slate of unique video programming. Regardless of all of this, X continues to inform us that the whole lot’s all good, and in reality, higher than ever, because it seeks to rebrand and remarket the previous fowl app.
This week, X has as soon as once more touted its nice success all through 2024, regardless of, once more, many, many indicators suggesting that the platform is on monitor to put up a vital monetary loss for the yr.
As per X:
“X has not simply advanced: it has remodeled right into a powerhouse of engagement and significant conversations. Consequently, the advertisers that returned in 2024 are displaying indicators that they’re right here for the lengthy haul!”
I don’t even know the way an advertiser would present indicators that they’re in for the lengthy haul, however X has shared some new knowledge factors and insights which it claims present that it’s certainly heading in the right direction.
First off, X says that video views are method up this yr, a stat that its shared beforehand.
“UAS” is consumer energetic seconds, which is a questionable stat we’ve beforehand explored in additional depth.
X additionally says that its gaining traction with Gen Z customers, which “displays the progress we’ve made in constructing long-term success for X, delivering content material, group and improvements that cater to this new wave of shoppers.”
However this chart:
Doesn’t actually make plenty of sense with none additional context or reference to the supply. Is that this saying that Gen Z customers who use X on daily basis log into these different apps at these charges? If that’s the case, then that’s not likely a lot of an endorsement of something, and if the declare is that each one customers of all of those different apps additionally log into X on daily basis, there’s no method that’s true, as a result of X’s every day energetic utilization is considerably decrease than a number of of those apps.
X additionally claims to have launched a heap of “game-changing” improvements his yr:
Which is one other complicated declare that X has repeatedly made, that its innovating at some stupendous price, and breaking trade norms with its releases. However it’s not likely. X, as a platform, stays basically the identical because it was when it was known as Twitter, and none of those updates, exterior of Neighborhood Notes, is considerably completely different than what different apps have launched first.
And Neighborhood Notes was already part of Twitter, so its not like its new. And whereas X is eager to speak up its change in strategy, and speedy innovation, I don’t see any vital advances within the app. And clearly, on condition that it continues to lose customers, others don’t both.
X has additionally praised its unique content material push:
“With unique content material as one in all our key drivers, we raised the bar this yr by means of our Originals on X sequence. The mission is obvious: we’re creating long-term worth attracting new customers to expertise unique content material solely right here. Tasks like The Offseason, the All In Boston Celtics docuseries and collaborations with cultural icons like Jim Rome captured audiences and drove deeper engagement throughout the platform, proving that storytelling on X was a giant hit in 2024.”
I feel X was holping that Linda Yaccarino’s expertise and connections, primarily based on her years of working NBCUniversal, would yield a slate of recent programming for the app, however up to now, the outcomes have been fairly disappointing. X has signed content material offers with Paris Hilton, a lesser Kardashian, The Huge 3, and a number of other proper wing commentators who had beforehand been solid off by mainstream retailers. And the consequence has been a couple of reveals.
Perhaps X will be capable of ramp up its unique programming efforts in 2024, however 5 unique originals, for a component that’s a “key driver”, doesn’t appear all that spectacular.
X has additionally shared an inventory of probably the most engaged “gold verified manufacturers”:
Gold verified being the manufacturers which are paying prime greenback to make use of the app, by way of X’s verification program.
Oh wow, SpaceX, you don’t say.
X has additionally shared an inventory of probably the most mentioned matters within the app:
Sports activities stays X’s saving grace, with so many sports activities followers now habitually aligned with the app for maintaining with the newest information, and monitoring feedback whereas watching stay occasions. With out that, X can be in deep trouble, however once more, X is re-framing its struggles as success.
Although I assume, what else is it purported to do.
Look, regardless of my clear cynicism, X is a relative success. The truth that the platform has culled 80% of its workers, and it hasn’t collapsed outright is important, regardless of the way you have a look at it, whereas it additionally claims to have greater than 570 million customers, which is a big viewers. And regardless of new challengers, X stays a vital connector for a lot of communities, and that, in itself, is of worth to many manufacturers and advertisers world wide.
X is, in relative phrases, doing okay contemplating, although it’s on monitor to put up a loss this yr, and I do get that it has to border the whole lot in sunny motifs. However it’s overly optimistic, and sometimes false claims additionally don’t do a lot to imbue belief and religion within the app.
Primarily, X is amplifying claims that aren’t true, or are blatantly selective. That’s to not say that it must acknowledge each unfavorable, however for a platform that regularly criticizes each different outlet as selling pretend information, this does appear to be a flaw in its personal comms plan.
As a result of each time it makes one in all these claims, it makes you query all of its different knowledge factors.
However I do get it, and I do additionally assume that there will likely be alternative for manufacturers in X in 2025, if that’s the place your viewers is participating.
If X stays in enterprise, that’s (although I think it would).
