Snapchat is well on its way to losing $1 billion after an approved advertisement appeared on its platform implying domestic violence. The ad featured Rihanna and Chris Brown, posing the question to viewers which celebrity would one rather inflict harm on. As fans can vividly recall, Brown pled guilty in 2009 to assault after he and Rihanna got into an argument inside a Lamborghini.
After getting wind of the ad’s existence, Rihanna took to Instagram to call out the app, coming to the defense of those who “have been victims of domestic violence in the past and especially the ones who haven’t made it out yet.” After sticking up for those domestic violence has affected and is affecting, Rihanna concluded her commentary with, “Shame on you. Throw the whole app-oligy away.”
CNN reported on Friday (March 16) that RiRi’s response has resulted in the app’s stocks dropping 4 percent, losing $800 million in its market cap.
Recently, Kylie Jenner made a remark complaining about Snapchat’s redesign, resulting in $1.3 billion to be cleared off the company’s market value.
Needless to say, one should never underestimate the influence of both celebrity and being held accountable for ill-advised content choices.
The ad has since been removed from Snapchat and it has been reported that the company has reached out to the National Network to End Domestic Violence for advice on how to proceed.