The news: Quality control is a growing fear for advertisers as an Adweek investigation found ads from major brands appeared near offensive and inappropriate content.
- Ads from brands like Amazon and Verizon were found near sexual or racially offensive content on the Android short-form video app XShorts. The app, which is rated appropriate for teens, is the top download in Google Play Store’s free entertainment category.
- Offensive banner ads were appearing beneath XShorts videos while playing, and XShorts also served full-screen ads between videos—all of which were purchased by major brands.
- Many of the ads were served through popular servers including Amazon, Epsilon, AppLovin, and Facebook Audience Network.
- Google prohibited advertising on the app after Adweek made the discovery and will conduct further reviews.
Zooming out: The incident highlights the need for demand-side platforms (DSPs) to refine brand safety controls—but is far from the first instance of ads appearing near inappropriate content.