Applebee’s ‘Disappointed’ With CNN After Ad Shown With Invasion Footage

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.

Marty Swant, a Forbes staff writer was the first to contact the restaurant about the change. “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:

We were immediately made aware by CNN that the ad had been placed in such a way. CNN asked us to stop advertising on their network. We are very disappointed by the way the network handled the situation.

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

CNN stated that the ads were pulled earlier today. “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.”