What you need to know in advertising today

As the story of ad abuse on Facebook, Google, and Twitter during the US 2016 election has unfolded, there's been one common theme: Russian bots, fake accounts, and other shadowy actors took advantage of automated online advertising platforms to influence American voters.

But with the latest revelation, Facebook and Google can no longer hide behind the convenient excuse that everything that happened was the algorithm's fault.

According to a Bloomberg report Wednesday, Facebook and Google employees worked with the conservative nonprofit group Secure America Now to showcase ads that contained anti-Islam rhetoric.

To read more about how Facebook and Google's political advertising problem goes beyond fake Russian accounts, click here.

In other news:

Speaking of Facebook, some of the fake Facebook accounts tied to Russia also used the Messenger app. Speaking at the WSJD Live conference, David Marcus, VP of Messenger, said that at this stage it's a small number.

Snapchat is selling an $80 dancing hot dog costume on Amazon. The costume is a nod to one of the app's most popular AR filters.

A former Uber executive was dropped from a lawsuit involving a woman who was allegedly raped by a driver. Emil Michael, Uber's former senior vice president of business who resigned in June, is no longer a defendant.

BTIG analysts apologized for being too optimistic about Snapchat. "We were wrong to not have a SELL rating," analyst Richard Greenfield said.

Google admitted its AI is making errors when deleting terrorist content off YouTube. "As we have increased the volume of videos for review by our teams, we have made some errors," the company wrote.

The Guardian is launching a £42 million venture capital fund to invest in startups. GMG Ventures will invest in "early stage businesses focused on developing the next generation of media technology."

Asics has a new plan to get cool with the help of a world-famous DJ. CEO Gene McCarthy hopes that enlisting world-famous DJ Steve Aoki as its spokesperson will unlock a new customer base for the brand.

A brand that makes simple, aesthetically pleasing products became a sudden hit in China - here's how. The new and popular online marketplace Yanxuan showcases simple and "normcore" styles and basic daily accessories.

Investors say these 8 businesses seem Amazon-proof. Dollar Stores and Home Furnishing Stores can breathe easy, at least for now.

Unilever has reported disappointing third-quarter revenue and Nestlé too has reported a sales growth slowdown, The Wall Street Journal reports. Both consumer packaged-goods giants blamed the downturn on the fast-changing buying habits by consumers worldwide.

Brad Jakeman, the president of PepsiCo's beverage group, is leaving the company to launch his own consultancy, AdAge reports. PepsiCo will be his first client.

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