Camera firm distances itself from Tiananmen Square advert

Leica, whose biggest growth market is China, say short film was not officially sanctioned

Western companies trying to do business in China learned long ago that they must bow, at least in part, to the political demands of an authoritarian state. So when the German camera-maker Leica released an advert featuring perhaps the greatest political taboo in contemporary Chinese history, it looked like an unusually audacious gamble.

In fact the short film referencing the Tiananmen Square crackdown appears to have been an extraordinary – and potentially very expensive – mistake.

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Toyota distances itself from Liberal ads falsely claiming Labor wants to tax cars

The ads use Facebook functionality to target users with an interest in particular car brands, including Toyota Hilux utes

Toyota has said that it was not consulted on a Liberal party campaign that uses targeted Facebook ads to falsely claim Bill Shorten wants to tax popular car brands including the Toyota Hilux and other utility vehicles.

“Toyota Australia were not consulted on the use of the HiLux in government materials.”

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Obscure no-deal Brexit group is UK’s biggest political spender on Facebook

Britain’s Future has spent £340,000 promoting hard exit – but no one knows who’s funding it

The single biggest known British political advertiser on Facebook is a mysterious pro-Brexit campaign group pushing for a no-deal exit from the EU. The revelation about Britain’s Future, which has never disclosed the source of its funding or organisational structure, has raised concerns about the influence of “dark money” in British politics.

The little-known campaign group has spent more than £340,000 on Facebook adverts backing a hard Brexit since the social network began publishing lists of political advertisers last October, making it a bigger spender than every UK political party and the government combined.

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Fortnite maker pulls ads over YouTube ‘paedophile ring’ claims

Epic Games joins Nestlé in abandoning video site over comments section scandal

The maker of Fortnite has pulled adverts from YouTube amid concerns that promotions for the video game, which is popular with children, were appearing alongside comments posted by paedophiles.

Epic Games confirmed it had withdrawn its adverts from the Google-owned site, joining Nestlé in temporarily abandoning it due to the latest scandal over inappropriate content.

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Revealed: Facebook enables ads to target users interested in ‘vaccine controversies’

Social media platforms under pressure by US congressman to crack down on anti-vaccine propaganda, citing Guardian investigations

Facebook enables advertisers to promote content to nearly 900,000 people interested in “vaccine controversies”, the Guardian has found.

Other groups of people that advertisers can pay to reach on Facebook include those interested in “Dr Tenpenny on Vaccines”, which refers to anti-vaccine activist Sherri Tenpenny, and “informed consent”, which is language that anti-vaccine propagandists have adopted to fight vaccination laws.

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Celebrity social media influencers pledge to change way they post

Clampdown on stars being paid for endorsing products without disclosing firm rewards them

More than a dozen celebrities, including Alexa Chung and Ellie Goulding, have pledged to change the way they label social media posts after Britain’s competition watchdog clamped down on the practice of stars being paid for endorsing products without disclosing they were being rewarded by the company.

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it had secured formal commitments from 16 celebrities to state clearly if they have been paid or received any gifts or loans of products which they endorse.

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Vintage ski posters – in pictures

A collection of vintage ski and winter sports posters up to a century old – some worth thousands of dollars – is about to be auctioned in New York. The resorts advertised range from Europe’s Alpine jewels to the mountains of Canada, and all offer fun in the outdoors

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APNewsBreak: Firm worked for Cordray’s agency, then campaign Source: AP

An advertising and media firm to which Ohio gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray's agency gave government work while he was a federal official now is doing political work for him. Records reviewed by The Associated Press show Washington-based GMMB recently has been making Ohio ad buys for Democrat Cordray's gubernatorial campaign against Republican Attorney General Mike DeWine.

Social justice movement veterans help Poor People’s Campaign

In this photo taken Wednesday, June 6, 2018 civil rights attorney Al McSurely sits for an interview at his home in Carthage, N.C. As the Poor People's Campaign launches a massive initiative to sign up people to support the mov... . In this photo taken Wednesday, June 6, 2018 civil rights attorney Al McSurely and his wife O'Linda Williams sit together in the kitchen of their home in Carthage, N.C. As the Poor People's Campaign launches a massive initiativ... CARTHAGE, N.C. - As the Poor People's Campaign launches a new initiative, its charismatic leader is working with the generation of civil rights leaders who stood by the Rev.

Heng claims victory as Facebook allows ad depicting Cambodian genocide

Fresno native Elizabeth Heng announcing her run for Congress, against Jim Costa, talks about long-overdue changes in the Central Valley that she envisions happening, while visiting her family's Rasmey Market, where she worked as a child. Elizabeth Heng, the Fresno Republican challenging Rep. Jim Costa in the 16th District, scored a victory Tuesday after blasting Facebook for refusing to approve a campaign ad that featured footage from the Cambodian genocide.

White House Bars CNN Reporter From Presidential Event

The White House barred a CNN journalist from attending a public appearance by President Trump in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, an apparent act of retaliation that drew immediate rebuke from news organizations and signaled the latest escalation of Mr. Trump's hostilities toward the news media. Kaitlan Collins, a White House correspondent for CNN, said she was called into the West Wing and chastised by administration officials for what they deemed "inappropriate" questions that she had asked of Mr. Trump during an Oval Office photo opportunity earlier in the day.

These youth activists are fighting to lower the federal voting age – and they just might win

From the top left, Andrew Brennen, Lorelei Vaisse, Meritt Jones, Jaden Deal, Eli Frankel, David Adams, Emmanuelle Sippy, Melina Fike. . In the days following the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida in February, 18-year-old student Sofie Whitney suddenly found herself thrust into a turbulent gun control debate.

Oracle Acquires Grapeshot to Help Advertisers With Brand Safety Issues

Oracle has acquired British marketing technology firm Grapeshot, which touts the ability to help brands contextualize ad placements before making automated bids, keeping them away from unsafe content. Oracle, which announced the acquisition today without disclosing a price, said that Grapeshot already works with more than 5,000 marketers, processing 38 billion programmatic ad impressions each month.

Blackstone and Carlyle to Jointly Host Third Annual Veterans Initiative Summit

The private equity industry collectively represents hundreds of companies and millions of employees across the country, providing a platform for significant impact on U.S. veteran hiring. We are proud of this continued partnership, and believe it can be a model for other industries as we collectively strive to improve the veteran employment picture, " said Stephen A. Schwarzman, Blackstone's Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder.

Turkey spends $2.6 Million to Hire Two New Lobbying and PR Firms

Last week, I wrote about a dozen public relations and lobbying companies the Turkish government had already hired. In recent weeks, the Republic of Turkey added two new such firms: Ballard Partners and Burson-Marsteller.

Today in the press

AIB SETTLED CITIGROUP DISPUTE OVER RUSNAK AT FRACTION OF $872m CLAIM - AIB received only a fraction of the $872 million it had sought from Citigroup when it agreed last year to settle a 12 -year case against the US bank in relation to the John Rusnak trading scandal. The Irish Times has established that the amount received by AIB under a settlement struck in January 2016 came to less than 5% of its original claim.

Willis Tower in Chicago prepares for a $500M face-lift

Willis Tower in Chicago is preparing for a $500 million face-lift under an ambitious plan Mayor Rahm Emanuel supports. The renovations call for six levels of entertainment, restaurant and retail space, which could become an attraction for thousands of building employees and 1.7 million yearly visitors drawn to the observation deck on the 103rd floor.