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Linda Yaccarino will be responsible for repairing Twitter's relationship with advertisers. Due to the unpredictable actions of CEO Elon Musk, advertisers have been withdrawing. Yaccarino is an experienced media executive who has contributed to developing new advertising formats and strengthened NBC's digital Peacock streaming service. She is considered a tough, tactical negotiator. This earned her the nickname "Velvet Hammer.”
Industry experts recognize her as having valuable advertising knowledge, but she must receive approval from Musk before making any product decisions. To ensure compliance, Twitter may need to reinstate the strict content moderation policies that Musk had previously relaxed.
Who Is Linda Yaccarino?
Linda Yaccarino, a 59-year-old with extensive experience in advertising and strong connections to Twitter owner Elon Musk, has been appointed as the new CEO of a social media site. She is leaving her position as chairman of advertising sales for NBCUniversal, where she led a team that has generated over $100 billion in deals over 12 years.
New Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino
According to her LinkedIn profile, she advocates for the industry and has worked to improve advertising measurement and promote workforce diversity. She played a vital role in the launch of NBCU's ad-supported streaming service, Peacock, and helped position the company as a significant digital player. Additionally, she has held important positions at the World Economic Forum, where she chairs the Taskforce on the Future of Work and is a member of the Media, Entertainment, and Culture Industry Governors Steering Committee.
Yaccarino, a graduate of Penn State University, is known for making confident and assertive decisions. She's not afraid to be forceful when needed. Yaccarino has established herself as a reliable voice in the media industry by raising concerns about the suitability of platforms such as YouTube, Google, and Facebook for top-tier advertisers. This was especially important when their ads were being displayed alongside inappropriate content. Given Twitter's recent loss of advertisers following Musk's acquisition of the company for $44 billion in October 2022, Yaccarino's reputation should be a valuable asset.
What Is Her Role at Twitter?
On Friday, Elon Musk declared that Yaccarino, a marketing executive with a long tenure, will take over as the new CEO of Twitter (and X Corp). As CEO, she will oversee the company's business operations. Musk will still be affiliated with the company as chairman, but his focus will shift to product design and new technology.
Yaccarino led a team of 2,000 people at NBCUniversal to help marketers reach their target audience, resulting in more than $100 billion in ad sales. In addition, she played a crucial role in launching Peacock, the network's ad-supported streaming service, and was a vocal advocate for diversity in the advertising industry. Her contributions to the media and entertainment industry were recognized when she was named the 2022 Woman of the Year by She Runs It, a women's empowerment organization.
Yaccarino strongly supports women and has supported conservative political views by serving on President Trump's Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. She has also shown interest in conservative figures such as Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and right-wing commentator Jesse Watters by following and liking their tweets on Twitter.
Yaccarino faces the challenge of bringing back advertisers who left Twitter due to concerns about brand safety following Musk's takeover last year. However, her experience and connections in the advertising industry may aid in this effort. Twitter's financial success relies heavily on attracting more advertisers, making it a key priority.
What Is Her Background?
Yaccarino has an impressive track record in the industry! She was previously President of Entertainment Advertising Sales at NBCUniversal, and her team achieved over $100 billion in ad sales for clients. Before that, she spent almost twenty years at Turner, where she ultimately became President of Global Advertising Sales. She's known for her fantastic skill in building relationships with clients and connecting them with the appropriate resources within the company. No wonder she's earned praise from many marketers!
Although she has been working hard, she has unfortunately received negative feedback from specific individuals on the far-right side of Twitter. They claim she is biased towards left-wing ideologies and thinks she is superior to others.
Yaccarino and Musk joined together for an interview at a marketing conference in Miami to reassure advertisers that Twitter is a reliable platform.
Many people anticipate that Yaccarino will shift Twitter's attention toward business. Over the past year, Twitter has faced challenges with misinformation and division, which has caused advertisers to leave the site and decrease their spending. Yaccarino's primary responsibility is to guarantee marketing executives that Twitter is a secure platform where their brands will not be subjected to hate speech or other problematic issues while still being an important platform for cultural conversations.
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