RIP GARM: How Elon Musk Silenced Advertising's Moral Compass
For those unfamiliar with GARM (Global Alliance for Responsible Media), think of it as the United Nations of Advertising. Launched by the World Federation of Advertisers trade group, GARM aims to reduce unintended harm caused by advertisers. It does this by raising awareness of key issues and leveraging collective power to create solutions.
Just as it's impossible for a single country to impact climate change alone, GARM was formed to tackle challenges like:
GARM simplified the job for media companies like Twitter by identifying shared concerns among advertising partners and responding to a more standardized set of guidelines.
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GARM's Careful Approach
Having worked with GARM and the WFA team that launched this initiative, I can attest to their caution in ensuring that they and their member companies operate within anti-competitive behavior laws. Ironically, it's the lack of competition in the digital media environment that has made a group like GARM even more critical in driving change.
X's Lawsuit and Its Consequences
It's unfortunate that X's lawsuit has forced GARM to cease operations. While I understand the economic reality of a small non-profit facing off against one of the world's richest individuals, it's a shame to see Elon Musk consistently "punching down" in his battles. Hopefully, the progress made in ad safety won't regress, and someone will continue to advocate for Ad Net Zero moving forward.
The Futility of X's Actions
Perhaps the bigger tragedy is the pointlessness of X's actions. Do they believe this will cause advertisers to return to the platform? GARM wasn't the root cause of the exodus; it was a declining audience and product quality, coupled with Musk's antagonistic stance towards advertisers. He told them to "go f*** yourself," yet paradoxically can't leave them alone.