YOUR ESSENTIAL GUIDE TO THE BUSINESS OF INFLUENCER MARKETING

News

Snapchat pulls Chris Brown ad that alluded to domestic abuse

Snapchat pulls Chris Brown ad that alluded to domestic abuse

An ad which if asked users if they would rather ‘slap Rihanna’ or ‘punch Chris Brown’ has been pulled from Snapchat.

The ad was for a ‘Would You Rather’ app and drew reference to historical domestic violence suffered by singer Rihanna at the hands of rapper and former partner Chris Brown, who was charged with assault after striking her in 2009.

Snap told the BBC that the ad, which only appeared in the US, has now been removed. A spokesperson stated: "The advert was reviewed and approved in error, as it violates our advertising guidelines. We immediately removed the ad last weekend, once we became aware. We are sorry that this happened."

Snap’s advertising guidelines ban content regarded as “"shocking, sensational, or disrespectful”.

It also states: "All ads are subject to our review and approval. We reserve the right to reject or remove any ad in our sole discretion for any reason. We also reserve the right to request modifications to any ad, and to require factual substantiation for any claim made in an ad."

This of course implies that the ad was specifically approved prior to its subsequent removal.

Last week both Snapchat and Instagram suspended Giphy sticker functionality after the discovery of a racist gif that featured a pretend “n***** crime death counter”. It is not the first time Snapchat has been accused of racial insensitivity.


Tags:
Contributor