Ideas
Explore the world's #1 largest database of ideas and innovations, with 460,592 inspiring examples.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,086 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Consumer Insights
Uncover major shifts and emerging opportunities with our exclusive PRO research.
Trend Reports
Discover why 1,240 brands rely on our AI-powered Trend Reports to get better, faster insights.
Newsletter
Join 321,086 subscribers who rely on our weekly newsletter to keep up with need-to-know trends and insights.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Trend Reports
Get fast, customized trend reports, presentations and deep dives 20x faster than traditional research.
Plans
Get started today with a free consultation, our self-serve tools, or a dedicated program.
Articles & Magazine
Get inspired with our 4,210 innovation strategy articles, keynote, videos and innovation tools.
Innovation Awards
Trend Hunter’s Innovation Strategy Awards recognize the best innovation tactics gathered from our interviews with some of the world's most notable business leaders, authors and change makers.
Advisory & Services
Accelerate innovation and ignite disruptive thinking with our award-winning programs and research.
Innovation Assessment
Enhance your innovation potential with a deeper understanding of your unique innovation archetype and how your organization benchmarks.
FuturistU
Prepare for the years ahead with 100+ lessons, tactics, tools and frameworks with our full learning database.
Innovation Books
Join 20,000,000 people getting better and faster with our New York Times Bestselling books and keynote videos.
Jeremy Gutsche
Ignite your event or virtual event with our CEO, a NY Times Bestselling Author and one of the top innovation keynote speakers.
Our Team of Speakers & Virtual Presenters
Inspire your group with our most popular speakers on innovation, trends, change and futurism.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Custom Masterclasses
Join the world's leading brands who leverage our custom programs to accelerate innovation.
FuturistU 5-Day Program
Become a Futurist with our immersive 5-Day program at Future Festival World Summit.
Online eLearning
Learn the fundamentals of futurism and trends with 100+ online courses about innovation.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
Contact
Get in touch to learn more, ask a question or submit a tip.
About Us
Learn more about Trend Hunter and how we accelerate innovation.
Follow-Us
Join our 3,500,000 social media followers, on the cutting edge.
How to Hunt
Learn more about how to hunt megatrends, ideas, patterns and opportunity.
FAQ
Get answers to common questions about Trend Hunter.
Community
Stay on the cutting-edge with the help of the Trend Hunter community.
Team
Meet the team trusted by hundreds of leading businesses worldwide.
Jobs
Find opportunities to accelerate your career with the #1 Trend Firm.
News
Catch up on noteworthy Trend Hunter news and media mentions.
Join
Build a portfolio and put your trend-spotting abilities to the test.
Advertising
Supercharge your marketing by partnering with Trend Hunter.
Portfolio
Visit your public portfolio and browse your past articles.
Add a Trend
Write up an article and showcase your trend-spotting skills.
My Trends
Edit your articles and see how they stack up on the leaderboards.
Settings
Edit your profile, connect your social media accounts, and more.
Add a trend, customize your dashboard, or track topics.
Future Festival
Innovation Events
Join the world's top innovators at our in person events.
Free Webinars
Learn to innovate through chaos, navigate the new normal and maintain work culture from home.
Custom Training & Events
Bring the Future Festival experience directly to your team or co-hosted custom event.
Search our database of 460,592 cutting edge ideas.

Hypocritical Corporations

Google Opposes Proposition 8 But Runs Pro Prop 8 Ads

— November 5, 2008 — Social Good
Google is caught up in a Prop 8 advertising scandal that has the owners of some famous sites pretty angry at the Silicon Valley corporation. Things are going particularly sour with Proposition 8, which seeks a ban on same-sex marriage, having successfully passed through. Many people think that these last-minute ads might have been the swinging vote.

So what’s the whole deal? Well, a day before the all important vote, the owners of popular sites like TechCrunch and Create Digital Music blogs were surprised when their Google ads displayed pro Proposition 8 messages that encouraged a ‘Yes’ vote on Prop 8.

A worse example is a gay car site that also received the same ‘pro prop 8’ ads through the Google Adsense network, even though the site has blocked all political advertising from it. According to the site owner, no political ads had previously ever appeared on his Google ads, due to a specific agreement with Google.

Peter Kirn, from Create Digital Music, also tried to use Google’s software to remove these offending adverts from the site and contacted Google directly about the issue. Finally, he removed the Google ads all-together from his site when the issue wasn’t solved.

And this is exactly where the problem lies. Even though Google publicly donated and supported a ‘No’ vote on Prop 8, this major mishap has many people questioning the integrity of its Adsense network.

“This is an extraordinary breach of trust we’ve put into Google ads,” Kirn said of the situation.

A Google spoke person added that “Google allows ads that advocate for particular political position, regardless of the views that they represent. We’re currently allowing ads advocating both for and against Proposition 8.”

Google confirms that they offer controls to ban and avoid ads that offend the hosting website from appearing. However, the reasons these controls did not work in this instance remain a mystery.

Image source
Trend Themes
1. Increased Scrutiny of Corporate Ad Networks - The Google Prop 8 advertising scandal has highlighted the need for increased scrutiny of corporate ad networks to ensure that ads align with the values and beliefs of the hosting website.
2. Concerns Over Integrity of Advertising Platforms - The mishap with Google Adsense has raised concerns about the integrity of advertising platforms, prompting businesses to seek more transparent and accountable advertising solutions.
3. Demand for Political Ad Regulation - The controversy surrounding Google's display of pro Prop 8 ads has fueled a demand for stricter regulation and guidelines on political advertisements in order to prevent deceptive or misleading messaging.
Industry Implications
1. Advertising and Marketing - The Google Prop 8 advertising scandal has exposed the need for reform and innovation within the advertising and marketing industry to ensure ethical advertising practices and avoid controversies like these.
2. Technology - The mishap with Google Adsense has highlighted the need for technological advancements in ad network platforms to improve control mechanisms and prevent unauthorized or inappropriate ads from being displayed.
3. Legal and Regulatory - The controversy surrounding Google's display of pro Prop 8 ads has implications for the legal and regulatory industry, as it prompts discussions about the need for clearer regulations on political advertising to protect consumers from deceptive practices.
2.4
Score
Popularity
Activity
Freshness