A representative of FPT Retail applauded the Ministry of Information and Communications’ (MIC) move on releasing the White List of communications channels that have been inspected and certified as ‘clean’. 

Enterprises now have a clear list of channels where they can safely place ads for their media and ad campaigns.

To avoid violating laws on advertisements, businesses exclude political and reactionary channels and videos; and require Google to provide exclusion keywords so that ads cannot be distributed with toxic content.

A representative of Trong Tin Transport and Trade said that the enterprise will use the White List for reference when running media campaigns to advertise its brand. 

He said advertising on social networks is a growing trend, but risks always exist if enterprises cannot control ad placement. He said the company will closely work with partners and ad agencies to avoid effects that may harm the enterprise.

Vu Cong Hoc, an expert in SEO Social, said that the White List and Black List will serve as a guideline for enterprises to use for advertising brands on digital platforms.

Enterprises have to take responsibility and heighten awareness about advertising their brands, especially on social media.

Hoc warned that if advertisers don’t pay enough attention to the content of channels where they place ads, they will easily cheapen their image because of low-cost ads. 

Many enterprises, attracted by low ad fees, ignore the content of videos, including sensitive and violent scenes, and place ads on platforms with this content. 

As a result, they may lose money and face the risk of harming their reputation.

Tran Vi Thoai, CEO of IB Legal Vietnam, said the White and Black Lists are helpful to enterprises amid the social network boom because they protect companies from violating the law.

“Placing ads with this content violates the laws, specified in Article 8 of the Cybersecurity Law and Article 28 of the Intellectual Property Law about abetting bad subjects. The cash is shared by social networks with those who produce toxic and reactionary clips. At the same time, businesses can cause damage to their own brands," said Thoai.

Thoai said that large corporations attach much importance to protecting their brands and are willing to pull down ads from the platforms where they cannot control the toxic content. 

Meanwhile, many small and medium enterprises pay less attention to the issue because of a manpower shortage.

White List 

Vu Thanh Thuy, who has a master’s degree in Communications, said when running media campaigns, enterprises should choose prestigious partners and prioritize advertising on sites that strictly observe Vietnamese laws.

She said enterprises should set up a division in charge of monitoring media campaigns. They should not rely 100 percent on partners or they may incur risks.

As for the White List, Thuy said agencies need to update the list regularly, while websites on the list need to build appealing content to attract brands to advertise on their platforms.

Hoc said that for international platforms such as Google and Facebook, individuals themselves can run ads, while domestic websites or press agencies require a lot of documents, contracts and certificates. Vietnam should have policies allowing ads to run easily and allow more groups of subjects to access mainstream channels in the quickest and most effective way.

Trong Dat