JLR review as online adverts ‘funded terror’
COVENTRY-BASED Jaguar Land Rover has started advertising online again after it was inadvertently caught up in a row over funding terror.
The global car brand was one of a number of major firms The Times claimed were unwittingly advertising on videos posted online by the likes of Islamic State and East African jihadist group Al-Shabaab.
The national newspaper claimed ads for the Jaguar F-Pace had appeared on YouTube next to a pro-Islamic State video. Other firms named by the newspaper as being caught up in the embarrassing episode include MercedesBenz, Waitrose and the charity Marie Curie.
Some advertisers reportedly blamed programmatic advertising, which has automated the process of placing adverts on websites.
The Times claimed the adverts were likely to generate tens of thousands of pounds a month for extremists, with an advert appearing alongside a YouTube video earning terrorists $7.60 for every 1,000 views.
JLR enforced a suspension of all its digital advertising in the UK on February 10, before resuming the following day after a review of its online verification and brand safety processes. Advertising industry watchdog ISBA, issued guidelines to try to ensure adverts are not placed on inappropriate sites.
A JLR statement read: “Jaguar Land Rover was very concerned by reports in The Times, which claimed that advertising featuring our brands might benefit extremist and other inappropriate online media as an unintended consequence of algorithm technology used on some video-sharing websites.
“We take our brands’ reputation very seriously and placed a temporary hold on UK digital advertising activity, while seeking and gaining assurance that we could resume it safely.” It added: “We are aware of the risks that digital advertising brings... we have invested in developing practices to minimise the risk of our brands being associated with inappropriate content. These include thoroughly checked lists of “clean” sites, third party verification technology and checks on surrounding content.”