News Corp chief weighs in on Havas decision to pause Google ad spend
News Corp chief exec Robert Thomson has responded to the news that Havas UK is withdrawing ads from Google and YouTube, saying that advertisers “need to go back to basics to protect their brands from serious damage.”
News Corp chief weighs in on Havas decision to pause Google ad spend
Havas said yesterday (17 March) that it is pausing all YouTube and Google Display Network ad spend until further notice, with chief executive and country manager Paul Frampton saying it has a "duty of care" to clients to ensure brand safety.
Adding to the fire, Thomson said that ad fraud is being "facilitated" by some agencies.
“Ad fraud is being perpetrated ad nauseam. It is rife throughout the digital world, and is facilitated by some ad agencies, which themselves make money from artificial audiences and pretend page views,” said Thomson. “Advertisers need to go back to basics to protect their brands from serious damage and to protect themselves from being involved in potentially criminal activity, whether it be supporting extremist groups or funding hardcore pornography.”
GroupM has also warned Google, which is tipped to control 40% of the online ad market this year, that stronger safeguards are needed to protect their clients.
While ad misplacement is not a new issue, it has never been as top of mind for marketers and more importantly chief executives as it is now that many are questioning whether they have over-invested in digital.