Why is Meta calling out TikTok and YouTube with a flurry of new ads? It's a game of 'reputational jujitsu.'
Meta is running a public relations campaign calling on TikTok and YouTube to adopt new teen safety protocols following a multibillion-dollar legal settlement. PR experts describe this as 'reputational jujitsu,' designed to shift the narrative and pressure competitors.
Why it matters
This strategy highlights how major tech firms use public safety initiatives as a competitive tool to manage legal fallout and brand perception.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Bloomberg/Getty Images Meta ran ads on social media and in print newspapers following a multibillion-dollar settlement. The advertisements call on TikTok and YouTube to join Meta in new protocols for teen safety. We spoke with PR pros about the upside and risks of this new PR strategy. Meta has a message for the public: Don't forget about TikTok and YouTube. After Meta's surprise settlement of up to $18 billion in a teen addiction lawsuit on Wednesday, the company is going on the offensive to shape the narrative with a series of ads on social media and in print newspapers. The advertisements, which Meta began running as a paid ad on its own platforms starting Wednesday, call for the two rival social media platforms to "join us in supporting teens." The ad links out to Meta's website announcing the settlement agreement.
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