Adobe Plans to Ban Political Ads on Its Online Ad-Sales Platform

By Emily Glazer and Patience Haggin 

Software giant Adobe Inc. plans to ban political ads from its digital advertising sales platform, people familiar with the matter said, the latest company to make such a move just months away from the U.S. presidential election.

Adobe, a large player in facilitating online ad buying, will prohibit clients from purchasing political advertisements, such as those featuring a candidate or political issue, on its Advertising Cloud product effective Aug. 30, the people said.

The ban will cut off a spending outlet for political buyers just before the homestretch ad blitz that begins around Labor Day in an election year.

Adobe has been alerting political advertisers of the change this week, the people said. Adobe is telling such clients that it wants to focus on bigger, more stable brands that can use Adobe's full platform, the people familiar with the matter said. The company said political clients are more transactional, often buying at the last minute and typically working on an election cycle every two years, according to the people.

A spokesman for Adobe had no immediate comment.

Digital platforms have been writing their own rules for political ads in the absence of federal guidelines.

Social-media site Twitter Inc. and streaming-music site Spotify Inc., two other large players in political advertising, banned political ads last year.

Digital-ad giants Facebook Inc. and Alphabet Inc.-owned Google placed restrictions on political ads last year, but didn't ban them.

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 31, 2020 15:20 ET (19:20 GMT)

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