Kylie Jenner might have dug Snapchat’s grave, but Rihanna might have pushed the social media platform into it.

In 2009, Chris Brown was convicted of assaulting Rihanna while the two were in a relationship. But, perhaps thinking that it was old news, someone at Snapchat went and approved a third-party advert for an app that made a tone-deaf and callous reference to the situation, reports CNN.

The advert, created for a mobile video game called “Would You Rather”, asked users if they would rather “slap Rihanna or punch Chris Brown”:

To be clear, Brown choked, bit, punched and threatened to kill Rihanna, landing her in the hospital, so it shouldn’t be a surprise that the star wasn’t having it.

Publishing a statement about the advert via Instagram Stories (Snapchat’s rival), Rihanna criticised the company for making light of domestic violence:

Yup.

Even Chelsea Clinton condemned the ad:

Snapchat attempted to respond to Rihanna’s post, but, as per usual, the apology wasn’t up to scratch:

“We are so sorry we made the terrible mistake of allowing it through our review process. We are investigating how that happened so that we can make sure it never happens again,” the company said.

“This advertisement is disgusting and never should have appeared on our service,” the statement read.

The company has since blocked “Would You Rather” as an advertiser, but it was too late: shares in Snap Inc fell almost 5%, wiping $1 billion (R11,8 billion) off Snapchat’s value.

But while Snapchat isn’t necessarily responsible for making the ad, it is responsible for allowing it to slip by. I mean, the ad even violated Snapchat’s own advertising policies, which explicitly prohibit “shocking, sensational, or disrespectful content,” reports Vox.

Oh dear.

I wonder which celebrity will be the one to hit the final nail into Snapchat’s coffin? I think the company will be able to tread water for just a little longer, but the clock is ticking.

[source:cnn&telegraph&vox]