Happy Thursday! Welcome back to #Uplift where we summarize the top stories in socially-responsible advertising, and in this week’s headlines:
1) Google bans ads on climate misinformation
2) New study sheds light on how advertisers are unwittingly funding climate misinformation
3) What is the industry’s role in creating a more sustainable world and how you can get involved?
4) Expert take: Dov Yarkoni, Nielsen Innovate CEO
Here we go!
1) With the UN Climate Change Conference #COP26 just around the corner, Google announced last week it will stop serving ads on content, including YouTube videos, with climate change misinformation. The timing is quite interesting, following waves of criticism that the tech giants are not doing enough to address misinformation in general and climate change misinformation in particular.
2) How much climate misinformation is out there and how it affects advertisers?
It is hard to continue to ignore the warnings, especially in light of the recent UN report “Code Red for Humanity”. At the same time, we have been seeing a growing phenomenon whereby advertising money is unwittingly funding purveyors of global warming misinformation. This is in turn affecting people’s behavior and causing harm to humanity. A recent study by ASU found that brief exposure to fake news can affect beliefs on climate change.
Over the last couple of months we have been tracking the ads shown on thousands of misinformation sites. We are releasing the findings in a new study today. Using website traffic data, we estimate that more than $200 Million has been spent on sites that spread global warming misinformation in 2021.
Interestingly, we have noticed ads served by Google and other major platforms, DSPs, SSPs, and ads of some of the world’s largest brands. And bizarrely, even ads for bags and t-shirts touted as environmentally-friendly. A pure coincidence or another example of contextual targeting gone wrong?!
3) Looking to get involved?
The Conscious Advertising Network has been sharing great resources to help you get started. #stopfundingheat is campaigning on social media to raise awareness and call the tech giants to take more decisive action.
4) While Google’s move is a first step, a drop in an increasingly polluted ocean, what can brands do to get involved?
“Appearing next climate change misinformation, and other harmful content, is not only bad for a company’s reputation, it is bad for sales”, Says Dov Yarkoni, CEO of Nielsen Innovate. “A recent survey by the Trustworthy Accountability Group found that 80% of people would avoid buying from brands featured next to extreme content. In a world where sustainability and diversity are on everyone’s mind, it is more important than ever for brands and their ad tech partners to work together on aligning media buying with their most important values”.
What are your thoughts? Have you come across any other news worth sharing? Let us know, and help grow the conversations on how to build a better industry!
