Rihanna video boycotted by big advertisers
Rihanna and a video that should turn all mothers’ stomachs
TWO companies are stopping their adverts appearing before Rihanna’s latest explicit music video online.
Travel firm Kuoni and the Co-operative Group are the first to say they will stop their adverts playing before the singer’s track B***h Better Have My Money on video streaming website Vevo.
The controversial song, which has been viewed more than 18million times since it was uploaded last Wednesday, has shocked fans by depicting bloody murder, sexualised violence and nudity.
It has been widely condemned by campaigners and was furiously criticised in yesterday’s Daily Mail by columnist Sarah Vine, who branded it ‘dehumanising trash’.
In the seven-minute film, the 27-year- old singer kidnaps a housewife, strips her naked and subjects her to a terrifying ordeal.
One scene shows the woman in a pool with her mouth taped shut as Rihanna fires a gun. In another torture section, the woman is seen suspended upside-down by her feet, swinging from a rope.
The gory video ends with a blood- soaked Rihanna rolling naked in a chest full of money after she kills the woman’s husband.
Adverts from a string of household names, including Vodafone and KFC, appear before the track on Vevo.
Often companies buy ‘blocks’ of digital advertising through a third party and are not aware of where their adverts have been placed.
Kuoni said last night they have a policy of not advertising alongside explicit content and would be withdrawing their support for the video.
And Chris Sonne, a spokesman for the Co-op, said: ‘This is certainly not something we would ever wish to be associated with. We are seeking to have the advert removed.’
Vivienne Pattison, of pressure group Mediawatch-UK, said: ‘It is fantastic that advertisers have begun to take responsibility and withdraw their support for this unbelievably shocking video. I hope that more follow suit.’
She also expressed her concern over the lack of restrictions in place on Vevo to prevent children from watching the film. Norman Wells, of the Family Education Trust, added: ‘It is a grossly irresponsible production and we hope that no reputable advertiser will wish to support it or be associated with it in any way.’
A Vevo spokesman said: ‘ We respect the wishes of our advertisers and we will not run their adverts against any material which they deem to be inappropriate to their brand.’
To watch the video on YouTube, users must verify they are over 18 and advertisements do not appear on agerestricted content.
In 2013 Rihanna’s song Pour It Up was labelled ‘obscene’ and ‘vile’ for its X-rated content, which featured strippers and suggestive dance moves such as ‘twerking’.