Brands pull ads from Rihanna's BBHMM video

Brands are removing their ads from appearing before Rihanna’s latest explicit music video for her track B***h Better Have My Money, on video streaming service Vevo.

Travel firm Kuoni and the Co-operative Group have pulled their ads from playing before the video.

Already clocking up more than 17m views since being uploaded last Wednesday, the video depicts murder, sexualised violence, nudity and drugs.

Throughout the seven-minute clip, music star Rihanna kidnaps a housewife, strips her naked and subjects her to various degrees of torture before murdering the woman’s husband over a money dispute.

Kuoni said on Monday night they have a policy of not advertising alongside explicit content and would therefore be withdrawing their support for the video.

Chris Sonne, a spokesman for the Co-op, said: “This is certainly not something we would ever wish to be associated with. We are seeking to have the advert removed.”

A Vevo spokesman said: “We respect the wishes of our advertisers and we will not run their adverts against any material which they deem to be inappropriate to their brand.”

To watch the video on YouTube, users must verify they are over 18 and advertisements do not appear on age-restricted content.

The situation highlights the danger for brands signing up to ‘blocks’ of digital advertising through a third party – unaware of content their ads will accompany, and therefore be associated with.