Two major advertisers are reviewing their position with the News of the World in the light of the Milly Dowler phone-hacking revelations.
According to The Guardian, a spokesman for energy company Npower said: “We note the concerns which have arisen on the back of fresh allegations of phone hacking against the News of the World. We are currently reviewing our options.”
Media Week reports that car maker Ford is also reviewing its position with the News of the World. Ford marketing director Mark Simpson told Media Week “because we look to behave in a certain way and expect our partners to do so as well”.
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Numerous other advertisers contacted by Press Gazette either declined to comment or said they would not be changing their arrangements with the UK’s top selling Sunday newspaper.
Tour operator Thomson Airways and retailer The Co-operative will not be pulling advertising from the newspaper, they confirmed today.
A spokesperson for Thomson said the company ‘will not be changing their advertising schedule”, while the The Co-operative added: ‘these are allegations – we have no plans to withdraw our advertising”.
Several campaigns have been set up on Twitter and Facebook urging companies to pull their advertising with the NoW.
This page was set up to allow people to automatically tweet companies that advertise with it including WH Smith, Virgin Media and Renault.
Tweets include: “Dear @easyJet, will you be reconsidering your advertising spend with #notw given that we now know they hacked Milly Dowler’s phone?”
The Guardian also claimed one NoW employee had received a succession of phonecalls from people ‘shouting the c-word down the phone, and hanging up”.
Guardian media blogger Roy Greenslade yesterday urged his readers to boycott the News of the World and exert pressure on advertisers to pull their money from the paper.
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