Toyota joins Ford, Hyundai, Holden and Kia to boycott YouTube over offensive content

CAR companies are staging a boycott after advertisements targeting specific YouTube users appeared next to offensive content.

The car giants advertising appeared alongside a video containing misogynistic abuse of journalist Ita Buttrose. Picture: Stephen Cooper

AUSTRALIA’S biggest car company Toyota has joined Ford, Hyundai, Holden, Kia and others in pulling advertising from social media giant YouTube — after automotive ads were placed alongside an offensive video attacking former Australian of the Year Ita Buttrose.

The automotive giants — who are among the biggest spenders in the advertising world — have temporarily stopped their YouTube campaigns until YouTube can guarantee their ads won’t appear next to distasteful content.

Holden and Kia were the first two automotive brands in Australia to suspend their YouTube campaigns after their ads were coupled with a sexist video that called Ita Buttrose an “old hag”, among other insults.

General Motors, Johnson & Johnson, Nestlé and other major advertisers boycotted the video site in the UK and the USA last week after their ads ran alongside other offensive content.

Today car giants in Australia such as Toyota, Ford, and Hyundai joined the YouTube ban, while others including Audi, BMW and Mercedes said they were “reviewing” their arrangements.

A statement from Toyota, Australia’s biggest automotive brand and advertised for the past 14 years, said: “We have currently paused our video and display advertising across the Google network. We are now working with Google to ensure there is adequate protection for our brand before we continue any further advertising”.

Toyota has joined Ford, Holden, Hyundai and Kia in a temporary boycott of certain YouTube ads. Picture: Supplied.

A statement from Ford this afternoon said: “We have paused Ford advertising on YouTube, as we work closely with Google on improvements to ensure our ads show up in environments appropriate for our brand”.

The announcements follow Holden’s confirmation it would “temporarily suspend all advertising on YouTube until we are confident Google can protect our brand from inappropriate or offensive content”.

“We value our good relationship with Google but in line with General Motors’ global response and Holden’s diversity stance, we have instructed our media agency (to stop advertising on YouTube),” said Holden.

Holden added it “in no way supports the content our advertising has been inadvertently associated with. We’re proud of our diversity credentials”.

Kia said its YouTube advertising was suspended “as soon as we were made aware of this particular incident (involving Ita Buttrose). It will remain suspended until such time as we can meet with Google to further clarify the application of this type of advertising.”

Kia’s sister brand Hyundai told News Corp Australia today: “Following reports of Kia programmatic advertising appearing next to inappropriate content, (advertising agency) Innocean has recommended temporarily suspending Hyundai programmatic advertising via Trueview pending meetings with Google”.

Subaru Australia said: “We’re withdrawing our YouTube activity until further notice and will await any other protective measures Google come up with”.

Volkswagen Australia said: “As digital advertisers we share the concerns that have been raised both locally and globally”, but it was yet to confirm it had pulled advertising from YouTube.

Nissan Australia said it is “working with its technology partners to ensure this matter does not affect its current digital marketing programs”, but was not pulling its YouTube ads “at this time”.

Rival luxury brands BMW and Mercedes both said they were “monitoring” the content appearing alongside their YouTube advertising.

A Mercedes-Benz Australia spokesman added: “It will depend on if we find our ads have been appearing alongside offensive content”.

A representative for Honda said the company is still investigating if its ads will be pulled from YouTube, adding it has “stringent” guidelines and monitoring of content.

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Originally published as Toyota joins Ford, Hyundai, Holden and Kia to boycott YouTube over offensive content