In the era of social distancing, avoidance may be the order of the day.

But that shouldn’t be the case when it comes to advertising against news.

Interpublic’s UM Worldwide has become the latest agency in a procession of industry players to counsel advertisers against blacklisting news publishers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

In this video interview with Beet.TV, UM’s chief digital and innovation officer Joshua Lowcock explains: “News is absolutely, categorically a brand-safe environment to be. There is no reason to avoid news and say that it’s not brand-suitable.

“The notion that you should somehow avoid negative news is, I think, a dangerous path to play because … it’s a slippery slope and you can’t ever win that debate. What’s negative to one person might not be negative to another.

“In the research that we’ve done, no one blames a brand for COVID-19 or coronavirus or a negative news event.”

Read Full Article On Beet.TV.