In a speech at an industry conference Thursday, P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard blasted the digital media industry for lack of transparency, fraud, privacy breaches and a proliferation of violent and harmful content placed next to ads.
Pritchard didn’t mention any companies by name, but this isn’t the first time P&G has criticized internet platforms. The company boycotted YouTube for more than a year in 2017 and 2018 after its ads showed up next to terrorist content. Other consumer-conscious companies like Walt Disney Co. and Kellogg Co. have paused spending on Google’s video site at various times over similar concerns.
Facebook shares, which have gained 36 percent this year, were little changed at 1:45 p.m. in New York. Google, up 16 percent in 2019, was also little changed.