This is embarrassing: a report by the Times has uncovered that car manufacturers Mercedes, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover are showing up on YouTube videos supporting ISIS and Combat 18, a neo-Nazi group. The report claims adverts for British companies Halifax, Argos, Lloyds Bank and Waitrose have also been spotted on the pages.
It is not in the interest of major companies to be associated with hate groups like ISIS or Combat 18. Some brands have already pulled their digital advertising since the report hit the headlines. Let’s tell the others that we want them to do the same.
Companies are more sensitive than ever to their public image. They know this looks bad. If we put Honda, Mercedes and Jaguar’s reputation on the line, they’ll have to pull their ads from these pages, and stop supporting extremism and hatred.
Sign the petition asking Mercedes, Honda and Jaguar Land Rover to pull their ads from YouTube pages that support hate groups
Companies rely on agencies to handle their advertising. The ads are placed online using clever automated algorithms. For each view on Youtube, advertisers and content makers will both get a cut of the profit, creating a mutually beneficial agreement for both parties.
But in 2014 Newsnight reported that adverts for big companies, including the BBC, had been spotted on pro-ISIS Youtube channels.
Google -- who own Youtube -- said it made an advertising blacklist to stop this sort of thing happening. But, with these fresh revelations, it’s clear something’s not working.
Ultimately, it’s the responsibility of these brands to make sure they don’t place their adverts on extremist content. Eric Feinberg, CEO of web monitor GIPEC, said, “You look at corporate America’s ads in front of these videos, and it really has a reputational risk. The advertising community needs to take responsibility.”
It’s up to SumOfUs members to speak up and let these corporations know this is not acceptable. The success of our campaign to get big brands -- including Kellogg's, BMW and T-Mobile -- to stop advertising on far-right site Breitbart show there’s an appetite for companies to do the right thing. Let's to put the same pressure on corporations advertising on YouTube pages that promote hate and violence.
Tell Honda, Mercedes and Jaguar to pull their adverts from YouTube channels that promote hate
More information
The Independent. 9 February 2017.
The Drum. 9 February 2017.