Sisi follows up on Egypt's food security, retail sector development    Gold posts modest gains on July 15th    China's urban jobless rate eases in June '25    Egypt's Health Minister reviews drug authority cooperation with WHO    Egypt's PM orders 60,000 new homes for Alexandria's unsafe buildings    Crystal Martin to build large-scale textile, apparel factory in Egypt    Egypt urges EU support for Gaza ceasefire, reconstruction at Brussels talks    Escalation in Gaza as Israeli airstrikes intensify, ceasefire talks stagnate    Agriculture Minister discusses boosting agricultural cooperation with Romania, Moldova    Pakistan names Qatari royal as brand ambassador after 'Killer Mountain' climb    Health Ministry denies claims of meningitis-related deaths among siblings    Egypt, Mexico explore joint action on environment, sustainability    Egypt, Mexico discuss environmental cooperation, combating desertification    Needle-spiking attacks in France prompt government warning, public fear    Foreign, housing ministers discuss Egypt's role in African development push    Korea Culture Week in Egypt to blend K-Pop with traditional arts    Egypt, France FMs review Gaza ceasefire efforts, reconstruction    CIB finances Giza Pyramids Sound and Light Show redevelopment with EGP 963m loan    Greco-Roman tombs with hieroglyphic inscriptions discovered in Aswan    Egypt reveals heritage e-training portal    Three ancient rock-cut tombs discovered in Aswan    Egypt condemns deadly terrorist attack in Niger        Sisi launches new support initiative for families of war, terrorism victims    Egypt's GAH, Spain's Konecta discuss digital health partnership    Egypt expands e-ticketing to 110 heritage sites, adds self-service kiosks at Saqqara    Egypt's Irrigation Minister urges scientific cooperation to tackle water scarcity    Palm Hills Squash Open debuts with 48 international stars, $250,000 prize pool    Egypt's Democratic Generation Party Evaluates 84 Candidates Ahead of Parliamentary Vote    On Sport to broadcast Pan Arab Golf Championship for Juniors and Ladies in Egypt    Golf Festival in Cairo to mark Arab Golf Federation's 50th anniversary    Germany among EU's priciest labour markets – official data    Cabinet approves establishment of national medical tourism council to boost healthcare sector    Egypt's PM follows up on Julius Nyerere dam project in Tanzania    Paris Olympic gold '24 medals hit record value    A minute of silence for Egyptian sports    Russia says it's in sync with US, China, Pakistan on Taliban    It's a bit frustrating to draw at home: Real Madrid keeper after Villarreal game    Shoukry reviews with Guterres Egypt's efforts to achieve SDGs, promote human rights    Sudan says countries must cooperate on vaccines    Johnson & Johnson: Second shot boosts antibodies and protection against COVID-19    Egypt to tax bloggers, YouTubers    Egypt's FM asserts importance of stability in Libya, holding elections as scheduled    We mustn't lose touch: Muller after Bayern win in Bundesliga    Egypt records 36 new deaths from Covid-19, highest since mid June    Egypt sells $3 bln US-dollar dominated eurobonds    Gamal Hanafy's ceramic exhibition at Gezira Arts Centre is a must go    Italian Institute Director Davide Scalmani presents activities of the Cairo Institute for ITALIANA.IT platform    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Google, Facebook need to accept they are media not tech companies: CEO of world's largest ad firm
Published in Amwal Al Ghad on 27 - 04 - 2017

Facebook and Alphabet-owned Google must accept that they are media, not technology companies, and deal with inappropriate content on their platforms, Martin Sorrell, chief executive of WPP told CNBC on Thursday, despite both U.S. firms trying to distance themselves from that label.
The boss of the world's largest advertising firm was responding to questions about the "brand safety" issues seen on both Facebook and YouTube, such as ads being placed next to extremist content and problems with fake news.
Speaking about his first quarter results released on Monday, Sorrell said that the company – which represents around $75 billion globally of media placements – saw clients continue to invest in advertising on Facebook, Google and newer entrants like Snap Inc's Snapchat.
"So investment in digital continues ... but you're right, there are these issues like brand safety, like measurability, we've had Facebook admitting on three or four occasions recently that the statistics that they give for their audiences were inaccurate," Sorrell told CNBC in a TV interview.
"And of course, if any traditional medium, just like CNBC did that, they probably would be under extreme pressure if not out of business. So there are some very big issues, Google and Facebook are 75 percent of the digital marketplace ... so they are very important and it is important that the data it shares in a more comprehensive way."
Several brands pulled ads from Google-owned YouTube because they were being placed next to extremist content. Matt Brittin, Google's EMEA president of business operations, apologized in March for this issue. The company announced plans to expand its safeguards for advertisers including plans to take down inappropriate content faster.
Facebook meanwhile has been criticized for allowing the proliferation of fake news on its platform. And it has also had trouble with its live broadcasting product – Facebook Live. Earlier this week, a Thai man broadcast himself hanging his baby daughter. Facebook has had a number of broadcasts that show violence.
Sorrell said these internet giants need to accept their role as media companies, and that means having better control of the content that appears on their platforms.
"The fundamental point is the acceptance by Google and Facebook that they are media companies and not technology companies and that they have the same responsibility as you do and for your content on CNBC on those media such as Google and Facebook or indeed Snapchat or Yahoo ... so we are seeing some concerns in that area," Sorrell told CNBC.
But being labeled a media company is something that Facebook and Google have tried to resist.
"I don't think we have to be the publisher and we definitely don't want to be the arbiter of the truth," Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg said in a recent interview with the BBC.
Nonetheless, WPP now gets 39 percent of its revenue from digital, with revenues from the segment up 4 percent on a like-for-like basis in the first quarter, a trend Sorrell said is likely to continue. Still, the WPP chief said that it could be a chance for traditional media to position themselves as a safer bet for advertisers.
"This is an opportunity for traditional media to suggest that brand safety in traditional media is greater than it is in new media," Sorrell said.
WPP reported like-for-like net sales in the first quarter were up 0.8 percent as it grappled with a decline in revenues from North America, its biggest market, as well as flat results in the emerging markets.
"It was patchy and it was a tough first quarter," Sorrell said.
Source: CNBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.