Jaguar Land Rover calls global media review

Jaguar Land Rover, one of several brands caught up in a row about inadvertently funding extremist websites through online advertising, has called a global media planning and buying review.

The car brand has contacted media agencies this week, just days after The Times revealed that ads for a string of major brands, including Jaguar Land Rover, had appeared on extremist videos or websites.

Campaign understands the review is part of a standard procurement procedure that was planned before The Times' revelations last week.

However, Jaguar Land Rover has been extremely concerned by The Times' report, ordering a temporary suspension of all its digital advertising in the UK on 10 February.

Jaguar Land Rover resumed digital advertising on 11 February, a spokesman told Campaign UK today, following a review of its online verification and brand safety processes.

The Times found ads for the Jaguar F-Pace had appeared on YouTube next to a pro-Islamic State video.

That video was viewed more than 115,000 times before it was removed, the newspaper reported.  

WPP's Mindshare is a long-running media agency for Jaguar Land Rover. Jaguar and Land Rover were sold to India’s Tata Motors for £1.3bn in 2008.

Land Rover moved its entire global creative and digital advertising business into Spark44, the global joint venture agency in which Jaguar Land Rover has a 50 percent stake, in 2015.

A Jaguar Land Rover procurement team has contacted media agencies to notify them that a global review is underway.

The review is expected to take at least six months.

It comes at a sensitive time in the media industry as digital and programmatic advertising is already under scrutiny from many brands such as Procter & Gamble.

Mindshare declined to comment on Jaguar Land Rover's review.

A Jaguar Land Rover spokesman said: "This review is in accordance with Jaguar Land Rover's usual sourcing best practice and reflects the company's commitment to conduct business in an open and fair way.  

"Jaguar Land Rover considers its suppliers to be integral to business success. Our supplier relationships help us to develop products that surprise and delight our customers and deliver our brand visions."