The world’s largest advertiser has warned that it may cut its online budget this year, turning up the heat on YouTube and Facebook.
Marc Pritchard, chief brand officer of the consumer goods giant Procter & Gamble (P&G), said he was planning to run fewer digital commercials due to concerns that they are not reaching their intended targets.
Last year, the maker of Ariel detergent and Crest toothpaste slashed its internet budget by $200m (£145m) after it emerged that some of its adverts had appeared alongside unsavoury YouTube videos.
The furore forced Facebook and YouTube owner Google to disclose in much greater detail where adverts appeared, how long they were viewed for and whether they were even seen by consumers.
“Once we saw all that data,