The News-Interrupting Applebee's Commercial That Had Twitter Disgusted
By now, most people around the world know about what's going on between Russia and Ukraine. After weeks of hinting at a potential invasion, Vladimir Putin directed his military to invade Russia's neighbor to the left, which has already resulted in more than 100 deceased Ukrainian "civilians and military personnel," with hundreds more injured, per Al Jazeera. The escalating conflict has led to swift action by President Biden and NATO in the form of imposing sanctions (via CNN).
As a result, news channels around the globe have been covering the events in real time, with many networks sending foreign correspondents on the ground in Ukraine to report on what's happening first hand. With so much unfolding, many Americans have been glued to their favorite news channels in an effort to stay informed. However, in the wake of covering the events, those who tuned in to watch CNN's broadcast this week also saw the network transition to a poorly-timed Applebee's commercial after airing some eye-opening coverage.
CNN's poor timing made Twitter unhappy
Though news coverage about what's happening in Ukraine has been nearly round-the-clock on many networks, they do still have to take commercial breaks. For CNN, though, one particular ad was met with major criticism.
The network was showing live footage of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital, and sounds of sirens could be heard in what signaled an air raid happening in the country — essentially, a sign that Ukraine was under attack. Immediately after showing the footage, CNN cut to a commercial, and the transition was less-than-ideal.
The sirens gave way to the Zac Brown Band happily singing "Chicken Fried" in the background of an Applebee's commercial that highlighted their wings and beer and even featured a cowboy dancing. It didn't take long for Twitter users to express their distaste.
"That CNN clip showing you Air Raid Sirens during a war then immediately going to an Applebee's ad perfectly encapsulates the power of money," Twitter user big_business wrote. "A friend once yelled the opening lyrics of Smath Mouth's 'All Star' in a movie theater during a silent moment in a dramatic movie as a dare. This is worse than that moment," user @ArashMarkazi tweeted.
According to Ad Age, CNN has reportedly since removed its "picture in picture" ad structure, at least when airing coverage of this nature.