Two Brands Halt Advertising on X Following Placement Next to Pro-Nazi Material
Media Matters for America, a nonprofit news watchdog, has detailed in a recent report an unsettling occurrence where advertisements from prominent brands were showcased alongside content on the X platform that celebrated Hitler and the Nazi Party.
The report reveals that ads from well-known brands such as Adobe, Gilead Sciences, the University of Maryland’s football team, New York University Langone Hospital, and NCTA-The Internet and Television Association were presented alongside tweets from the aforementioned account. These tweets, which garnered substantial viewership, contained content of a deeply concerning nature.
Brian Dietz, a spokesperson for NCTA, expressed serious concern regarding the placement of their ads and the juxtaposition with such distressing content. He noted that NCTA had taken steps to safeguard their brand placement through X’s brand safety mechanisms, which included keyword restrictions and targeted ad placement. In response to these issues, NCTA has made the decision to temporarily suspend advertising on the Twitter/X platform and significantly curtail their organic presence there, placing a high emphasis on maintaining brand safety.
Gilead also announced a pause in their advertising spending on X while the matter is investigated by X.
Jason Yellin, the Associate Athletic Director at the University of Maryland, expressed worry over the positioning of their football team’s post on the account. He mentioned that the team hadn’t allocated funds for advertising on X since 2021, implying that the post might have been promoted by X despite not being a paid ad.
A statement from NYU Langone’s spokesperson emphasized the hospital’s complete surprise and profound concern about their advertising material being associated with blatantly objectionable content that promotes hatred. The statement further underscored the expectation for responsible action from advertising partners.
Shortly after the release of the Media Matters report, during which additional ads from various brands were noted on the account, the account itself appeared to have been suspended.
On the day the report was published, X initiated an examination of the profile and determined that ad impressions on the page were limited, as stated by the company.
