Bunnings, Foxtel and Caltex have joined the cascading global advertiser boycott of YouTube, as Australian companies lose faith in the Google-own video platform’s ability to isolate their brands from bigoted and extremist content.
Vodafone, Nestle, Holden and Kia have also temporarily suspended all advertising from YouTube because it was appearing alongside offensive videos. It follows boycotts by a string of global companies, highlighting the poor levels of control Google has over its content and the risk posed to brands choosing to advertise on it.
Pay TV provider Foxtel said on Monday that it had become concerned about how Google was promoting its brand after learning of a Foxtel pre-roll video ad running on a page that publishes anti-Semitic material.
“Therefore, we have made the decision to suspend our advertising on YouTube until we are assured that the situation is resolved,” a Foxtel spokesman said.
Read the full article by Patrick Hatch and Lucy Battersby at The Sydney Morning Herald.