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April 5, 2024
Grocery store Lidl stops putting ads on Serbian TV channel found spreading Russian propaganda
Hello, folks!
Happy Friday!
Let's chat for a bit about Lidl, Serbian television, ads, and Russian propaganda 👀
Lidl is no longer advertising on a Serbian TV channel found spreading Russian propaganda — though the grocery chain says it’s not a political decision.
The European company’s ad halt comes as researchers and nonprofits, including Check My Ads, have been sounding the alarm about advertisers unknowingly funding the spread of propaganda.
The CRTA’s research was also cited in a post from Reporters Without Borders calling attention to the problem of “unreliable news media content in Serbia,” which also named Happy TV as a primary culprit.
While the organization’s researchers think it’s premature to “draw definitive conclusions about Lidl’s motivations” for the change, “we are hopeful that Lidl's decision stems from a recognition of [Happy TV’s] role in disseminating disinformation and non-professional, unethical, and biased reporting,” Program Director Raša Nedeljkov told Check My Ads.
In an email, Lidl confirmed to Check My Ads that it “decided to stop advertising on the channel Happy TV since the beginning of 2024.” But the company said its decision was about properly informing its customers about its products, not taking a political stance.
Unknowingly funding propaganda in the Balkans isn’t a new problem for advertisers, or even Lidl. An earlier May 2023 CRTA report detailed how companies — including Lidl — propped up disinformation with ad dollars.
“Procter and Gamble, and Coca Cola, and Lidl, are very likely not aware that they are on these pro-Russian disinformation channels,” Check My Ads CEO Claire Atkin told the European Parliament about the report’s findings.
Claire Atkin speaks at the European Parliament last September.
As Happy TV continues to appear on televisions across Serbia, CRTA says it will watch for advertisers showing up in unsavory places, funding dark corners of the media world in the process.
“We continue to monitor the advertising decisions of major brands closely, including Lidl, and aim to influence other significant advertisers, such as Dutch retailer Dehleize and multinational Coca-Cola or P&G, to exercise greater caution and responsibility in their advertising placements,” Nedelijkov said.
“Our goal is to encourage these corporations to consider the broader implications of their financial support, particularly in terms of legitimizing platforms known for disseminating disinformation alongside their advertisements.”
CRTA’s efforts come as ad spending around the world is projected to hit $1 trillion this year — a reality that makes transparency in the advertising ecosystem more important than ever.
The industry, as it stands now, is opaque with almost no oversight and regulation. In fact, when the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers studied the supply chain for programmatic advertising — which is how most ads are bought and sold nowadays — it couldn’t track where 3% of the money ended up.
Advertisers need to know where their money is going. It’s that simple.
Oof. This is a BIG one and cuts to the heart of why we’re fighting for more transparency in adtech. The WSJ’s scoop (based on this Adalytics report) reveals how Forbes had an alternate site jam-packed with advertising that was meant for its main site. “One 700-word article was turned into a 34-slide slideshow, exposing the person who read it on a computer to about 150 ads instead of around seven for someone who read the original piece.”
The world’s largest democracy is gearing up to vote, and Time is reporting how YouTube “approved dozens of ads promoting voter suppression and incitement to violence ahead of the upcoming election.”
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