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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Firms withdraw BNP Facebook ads | Firms withdraw BNP Facebook ads |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Vodafone and First Direct bank have withdrawn adverts from the networking website Facebook after they appeared near British National Party content. | Vodafone and First Direct bank have withdrawn adverts from the networking website Facebook after they appeared near British National Party content. |
| Advertisers cannot control where on Facebook their brands appear - the phone and banking ads had appeared on a rotating basis on a BNP-related page. | |
| Vodafone pulled the ads because it does not support political parties and wanted "to avoid misunderstandings". | Vodafone pulled the ads because it does not support political parties and wanted "to avoid misunderstandings". |
| First Direct said ad placements had to match its "values and identity". | First Direct said ad placements had to match its "values and identity". |
| The two advertisers were alerted to the positioning of the ads by New Media Age magazine. | The two advertisers were alerted to the positioning of the ads by New Media Age magazine. |
| Concerns | Concerns |
| New Media Age editor Justin Pearse said: "On the internet you often have little control of where your ads are shown, something that's been highlighted by the unwitting association of some of the UK's favourite brands with a highly controversial political cause." | New Media Age editor Justin Pearse said: "On the internet you often have little control of where your ads are shown, something that's been highlighted by the unwitting association of some of the UK's favourite brands with a highly controversial political cause." |
| First Direct spokesman Rob Skinner said: "We are obviously concerned about where our advertising appears. | First Direct spokesman Rob Skinner said: "We are obviously concerned about where our advertising appears. |
| "We have got to make sure that the places we advertise are consistent with our own values and identity." | "We have got to make sure that the places we advertise are consistent with our own values and identity." |
| Vodafone said it wanted to continue to work with Facebook while "staying true" to its policies. | Vodafone said it wanted to continue to work with Facebook while "staying true" to its policies. |
| A spokeswoman for the mobile phone giant said it bought bundles of advertising space across a number of websites. | A spokeswoman for the mobile phone giant said it bought bundles of advertising space across a number of websites. |
| 'Brand protection' | |
| "As a result we were not aware that a Vodafone advertisement would appear next to a British National Party group on Facebook," she said | "As a result we were not aware that a Vodafone advertisement would appear next to a British National Party group on Facebook," she said |
| "Our public policy principles state that we do not make political donations or support particular party political interests and therefore to avoid misunderstandings we immediately withdrew our advertising as soon as this was brought to our attention." | "Our public policy principles state that we do not make political donations or support particular party political interests and therefore to avoid misunderstandings we immediately withdrew our advertising as soon as this was brought to our attention." |
| Virgin Media also said it would be withdrawing its ads from Facebook and other networking sites soon. | |
| A spokeswoman said: "We want to advertise on social networks but we have to protect our brand". | |
| She said the company was now talking to its advertising agency to find ways of giving it some control over where its adverts would be placed online. |