Matt Marshall wrote on VentureBeat:
Advertisers in UK yank ads from Facebook when they realize the ads are posted next to the group page of a far-right-wing political party. Slowly but surely, advertisers are beginning to realize how dangerous it is to run campaigns in social networking sites. Tod M. Sacerdoti, founder of BrightRoll, which inserts advertising into videos for clients, told us recently he has all but abandoned serving social network sites, after seeing multiple examples of advertising networks exposing major advertising brands to lewd, quasi-porn video content.
The question remains, “Is placing your brand next to social networking / user generated content a good idea?” I believe the answer is clear, it depends. Put simply, if your brand is sensitive to adjacent placement and even a .1% chance that you end up next to an inappropriate image, video or political opinion, than it is NOT a good idea. If your brand is adjacent placement resistant, such as a piece of entertainment content, AXE Body Spray or otherwise more edgy brand, than it can be a good idea.
I was forwarded a link last week to a video on the site Heavy.com. To me, this was the most recent, and perhaps most glaring, example where adjacent ad placement is definitely questionable. Here are the three screenshots I took and I ask the simple question, “Is this good for your brand?” I think, in this case, the answer is crystal clear.
Haven’t both “Chuck and Larry” and “The Bourne Ultimatum” both already surpassed 100MM dollars in box office revenue? I can only assume that success at the box office isn’t considered “good for your brand” according to this author. It is time to embrace consumer control and to understand contextual relevance without prejudice. The smartest marketers know that the wall between advertisers and consumers needs to be torn down, not fortified with moral superiority.
Not to say I totally disagree with your ultimate point, but your argument is idiotic. Do you attribute the 100MM dollars in sales to these advertisements on Heavy.com specifically, which are surely a tiny portion of the films’ marketing mix?
I think you might be confusing cause and effect, or at the very least grossly overstating it — if you want to argue specifically on how having your product promoted alongside soft porn actually leads to more sales or brand value, go for it. We’d all like to hear.