It’s been a rough few weeks for Google, as suddenly marketers recognized the ugly fact that their ads were appearing next to extremist content on YouTube.
Evidence has yet to prove that the boycott has caused anywhere near the initial forecasted losses for Google. But publishers and Google rivals continue to use the boycott to press their own advantage. Here’s a primer for those wondering just what the big deal is.
The problem
The crux of the issue is that both Google and Facebook have refused to allow third-party content verification on their platforms, and so they haven’t been held to account in the same way as traditional media. The political landscape is so toxic and polarizing currently that many brands are already jumpy about where their brands are associated, whether it’s against fake news or other inappropriate content. And with Google and Facebook gobbling more than 70 percent of U.K. digital ad spend, that has meant marketers were quick to show their aversion while also using the scandal as leverage to up their negotiation powers.
But this “crisis” was always about a lot more than just YouTube. Google may have born the brunt of what some in the industry called “faux rage,” but, in reality, the roots run deeper. The problem stems back to the fact that brand clients (by way of digital media’s trusty scapegoat: procurement teams) have long pressured their agencies to prioritize buying massive volumes of media, very cheaply, made possible by programmatic trading.
collected from:Digday news paper
News link:https://digiday.com/uk/youtube-ad-boycott-concisely-explained/