Times are tough out there in the digital media landscape, so when a publication pulls your $1.3 million spend on an ad campaign, you know something’s up. In an internal email to staff, BuzzFeed’s CEO has explained why the media powerhouse has done just that, pulling the pin on a lucrative ad deal with the Republican Party.
In the email, CEO Jonah Peretti straight up points at the Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump as the reason behind pulling the ad campaign. As the election reaches fever pitch, so does the rhetoric behind Trump’s campaign. Now, Peretti has taken issue with the “tone and substance” of the campaign.
“The Trump campaign is directly opposed to the freedoms of our employees in the United States and around the world and in some cases, such as his proposed ban on international travel for Muslims, would make it impossible for our employees to do their jobs.”
The ad campaign would have appeared on the popular website for the duration of the North American Autumn election cycle. Peretti, who admits the ad spend would help fund important editorial features, sees it as something a bit more damaging, comparing the ads to ads for cigarettes:
“In some cases we must make business exceptions: we don’t run cigarette ads because they are hazardous to our health, and we won’t accept Trump ads for the exact same reason.”
Ending the deal won’t impact the site’s editorial coverage of the election, however, the mutual respect isn’t reciprocated. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Trump and BuzzFeed have clashed antlers before with BuzzFeed staff previously being denied credentials for Trump events.
No word yet from the Republican Party about their thoughts but to find out that your content isn’t up to scratch for a site who most popular article right now is titled “Can You Pick The Highest-Calorie McDonald’s Menu Item?” has gotta sting.
