In the midst of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, CNN made headlines; not just for being live when cruise missiles began striking Kyiv, but also for playing an obnoxious Applebee’s ad side-by-side with footage of air-raid sirens blaring out through Kyiv.
Forbes staff writer Marty Swant was the one to reach out to the restaurant chain. “I asked Applebee’s about the now-viral ad that aired on CNN today during the live broadcast of Russia's attack on Ukraine and just got the following statement,” he announced on Twitter.
An Applebee’s spokesperson told Swant that they’re “deeply concerned about the situation in Ukraine.”
And as for what they had to say about the ad placement, they weren’t happy with CNN and blamed the network for it:
When we were made aware that our ad was placed in this manner, we immediately reached out to CNN to pause our advertising on their network. It never should have aired, and we are disappointed in the actions of the network.
I asked Applebee’s about the now-viral ad that aired on CNN today during the live broadcast of Russia's attack on Ukraine and just got the following statement: pic.twitter.com/q3rxA4cJxN
— Marty Swant (@martyswant) February 24, 2022
In a statement earlier in the day, CNN announced they pulled the ads. “Those spots will no longer be running,” they told TVNewser. “Squeezeback advertisements have been removed from the coverage.”
They further explained that those kinds of ads are designed to keep an audience’s attention, but acknowledged “as today proved, they can also backfire under certain circumstances.”
