The basis of the scandal is not new, what has changed is the background: YouTube has been around for a few years now, since the first major linked scandal broke out, starring in moments of criticism for how and where its videos appear. The first of the scandals was a few years ago, when an investigation discovered that brand advertisements were being served alongside extremist videos. The platform advertised the Japan Mobile Database user of the video, regardless of what exactly that content was. For companies, very concerned about the safety of their brands, the idea was seen as scandalous and highly critical. Calls for boycotts were made, advertising campaigns were paused and YouTube announced measures to give more control to brands and prevent their ads from being queued in unsafe environments.
However, despite the increased sensitivity and increased protection measures, things were not completely resolved. They have not had as much impact, but since then there have been different new complaints about how YouTube is serving advertising and which videos are being monetized Brother Cell Phone List thanks to it. The latter is the one that has discovered that brand ads are being served alongside animal cruelty videos. The study was developed by Insider and by the animal safety NGO Lady Freethinker. Their investigations found advertisements for all kinds of brands that appeared in videos that, according to Lady Freethinker’s criteria, violated the welfare of animals (in one of these videos, in fact, the death of an animal was shown).
Among the brands that have appeared in those ads are Disney +, Facebook, Land Rover, Amazon Prime Video or Dyson, among others. Of the affected advertisers, only two have given their opinions to Insider. They have been told by an insurance company that it has paused the campaign until YouTube clears things up and Facebook is investigating the situation. From YouTube they have insisted that their content policy prohibits those videos that show unnecessary damage or deliberately cause discomfort to animals. Channels and content affected and revealed by the investigation have been closed or demonetized.
However, research has shown that the problem is not over. After these disappeared, the study located other similar videos that also had brand advertisements. The essence of the content was the same and the problems similar. In the end, the research shows, once, the dangers and risks of programmatic advertising. For brands, it is increasingly important to control where their advertising is served and what they are being associated with through it. Reducing the risks and potential negative impact on your brand image from a poorly served ad is critical. However, programmatic advertising has yet to do so. YouTube is testing what is known as a Hypersensitive Mode, which will allow for targeting by applying many more content restrictions.