Travel firm Kuoni and supermarket Co-op have pulled their pre-roll video ads from Rihanna’s controversial new music video ‘B***h Better Have My Money’.
The song appeared on YouTube on July 1 and has already attracted over 20 million views. It is also available on other video websites.
Kuoni instructed its media agency to pull its advertising from the video, which depicting bloody murder, sexualised violence and nudity. In the seven-minute film, the 27-year-old singer kidnaps a housewife, strips her naked and subjects her to a terrifying ordeal.
A spokesperson from Kuoni said: “We buy digital advertising space according to set criteria to suit our audience. There is a very clear agreement that we do not want to advertise alongside any explicit content. We are talking to our media agency to ensure it is withdrawn from this video and we are extra vigilant about online content.”
Chris Sonne, a spokesman for the Co-op, said: “This is certainly not something we would ever wish to be associated with. We are seeking to have the advert removed.”
Adverts from a string of other household names, including Vodafone and KFC, appear before the track on Vevo.
Often companies buy ‘blocks’ of digital advertising through a third party and are not aware of where their adverts have been placed.
To watch the video on YouTube, users must verify they are over 18 and advertisements do not appear on age-restricted content.