Apple's Twitter ad spend may not have actually dropped

Research firm Media Matters for America has released a data set detailing what it claims is Apple's daily advertising spend on Twitter, showing a dramatic increase — not decrease — since Elon Musk took over.

Apple has not commented on its advertising on Twitter, and it likely won't, though Tim Cook said he was counting on the service to moderate as Musk promised. Then Apple's ad agency recommended that all of its clients stop advertising on Twitter, at least in the short term.

Most recently, Elon Musk took to Twitter to say Apple had "mostly stopped advertising on Twitter, and he should know.

Despite the one-sided war of words, it's not clear what actually is going on. Media Matters for America (MMA) claims that the reality is that Apple has actually increased its spending since Musk took over.

The not-for-profit organization's figures show a significant dip around November 8, 2022, and November 21, 2022, but never a complete halt. And aside from that last date, Apple has never spent less than it did on Musk's first day.

On that first day, October 28, 2022, MMA figures claim Apple spent $31,941.76. On the last day of the report, November 28, 2022, Apple is said to have spent $84,615.70, or 2.6 times as much as before.

Apple's estimated Twitter ad spend according to Media Matters for America

"[The data is based] on an analysis of Pathmatics data, from October 28, 2022 (the first day of Elon Musk's official ownership of Twitter) through November 28, 2022," writes MMA in its report.

There is no detail to cover even whether this was Apple's spend solely in the US or globally, however. There is also no context to show when an ad spend had been previously booked to run, either.

So without clarification, it's possible that Apple had already committed these sums based not on Musk's arrival, but it's own marketing needs for the time included. AppleInsider has reached out to MMA for clarification on how the data was collected, and other factors surrounding the advertising spend.

We have also reached out to Twitter for information on Musk's claims, but it's not clear if emails to the company are being read.