Brands spend nominal sums on X ads to keep Elon Musk happy

Big brands are allocating small amounts of their advertising budget to Elon Musk’s X, seeking to avoid being seen as boycotting the social media platform and triggering a public fallout with its billionaire owner.

Multiple marketing executives told the Financial Times that companies have felt pressure to spend a nominal sum on X following Musk’s high-profile role in US President Donald Trump’s administration. 

They said Musk’s pursuit of legal action against groups that have stopped…