Applebee’s Worst Media Buy

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During a broadcast on Thursday, CNN cut from somber live footage of air raid sirens sounding over Kyiv to… an Applebee’s ad.

A peppy, inset Applebee’s ad, surrounded by wartime headlines.

It’s so jarring. You really have to watch the video, which went viral on Twitter (~40K RTs!) for the full effect.

The fallout for CNN and Applebee’s

CNN paused picture-in-picture ads after the incident. 

Applebee’s paused their CNN ads when they saw the clip, too, blaming the network in a statement: “​It never should have aired, and we are disappointed in the actions of the network.”

Wait — is this all CNN’s fault? 

Not totally. 

Brands should know what creative is running where on any given day, and it’s best practice to pause ads — at least celebratory ones running on news channels! — in times of crisis. 

Automated ad placements can go sour fast.