Advertisers Dump Facebook

On June 30, American news organisations updated a comprehensive list of companies that are pulling all their advertising from social networking site Facebook. These companies paused their advertising spend on

Facebook and plan to do so for 30 days starting July 1 to force Facebook to better monitor hate content on its platforms.

Fijian companies need to take a leaf out of this given the level of hate and vilification that was pushed through Facebook users targeting Fijians.

CNN Business reported: A growing list of companies are pulling ads from Facebook. For many of them, it’s part of an advertiser boycott in protest of what they say are the site’s failures to stop the spread of hate.

“A civil rights coalition, which includes the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) and the NAACP, launched the #StopHateforProfit campaign last week when it called on major corporations to put a pause on advertising on Facebook, citing the company’s “repeated failure to meaningfully address the vast proliferation of hate on its platforms.”

Within days, outdoor retailers REI, The North Face, and Patagonia said they were in. Other companies, including Upwork and Dashlane, have joined too.

Starbucks, the sixth-largest advertiser on Facebook, also said it would pause all social media advertising, though it did not explicitly link the action to #StopHateForProfit. Other companies — including Adidas and Clorox — are pulling ads, though have not said they are formally joining the campaign.

In a statement to CNN on Friday, Carolyn Everson, vice president of

Facebook’s global business group, responded by saying: “We deeply respect any brand’s decision and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information. Our conversations with marketers and civil rights organisations are about how, together, we can be a force for good.”

The list: Adidas

The sportswear company Adidas said Monday it was pausing advertising on Facebook and Instagram on a global basis, becoming yet another major brand to put pressure on the social media giant.

“Racist, discriminatory, and hateful online content have no place in our brand or in society,” the company said in a statement. “As we focus on better practices within our company and communities to ensure lasting change in the fight against racism, Adidas and Reebok will also pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram globally throughout July.”

Adidas, which also owns Reebok, added: “Over the next 30 days we will develop criteria to hold ourselves and every one of our partners accountable for creating and maintaining safe environments.”

Arc’teryx

Ben & Jerry’s

The ice cream company issued a statement on June 23 saying it supports NAACP, Color of Change, the ADL “and all those calling for Facebook to take stronger action to stop its platforms from being used to divide our nation, suppress voters, foment and fan the flames of racism and violence, and undermine our democracy.”

“As of July 1st we will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and

Instagram in the United States as part of the #StopHateForProfit campaign,” it added.

“We call on Facebook, Inc. to take the clear and unequivocal actions called for by the campaign to stop its platform from being used to spread and amplify racism and hate.”

Beam Suntory Birchbox

Blue Bottle Coffee

Blue Shield of California Chobani

Clorox

In a statement on its website, Clorox predicted an increase in hate speech “through the balance of the year.”

Clorox, whose brands include Pine-Sol, Glad, Tilex and other cleaning and household products, said it would reallocate its ad spend to other media.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is pausing all social media advertising, not just on Facebook, “for at least 30 days” beginning in July, the company said on June 26.

“We will take this time to reassess our advertising standards and policies to determine whether revisions are needed internally, and what more we should expect of our social media partners to rid the platforms of hate, violence and inappropriate content,” the company said in a statement. “We will let them know we expect greater accountability, action and transparency from them.”

Ford

Ford said Monday it was pausing “all national social media advertising for the next 30 days” amid a wider advertiser backlash against

Facebook.

“The existence of content that includes hate speech, violence and racial injustice on social platforms needs to be eradicated,” Ford said in a statement Monday. “We are actively engaged with industry initiatives led by the Association of National Advertisers to drive more accountability, transparency and trusted measurement to clean up the digital and social media ecosystem.”

This marks the second major automaker to pull back on digital advertising in June following Honda’s US division’s decision last Friday.

Hershey’s

The candy company announced on June 26 it was joining the boycott, even after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to a public livestream that day to meet the public backlash.

Honda

The automaker’s US division said on June 26 it will join the boycott, pulling its marketing from Facebook and Instagram.

The decision marks the first car manufacturer to sign onto the campaign.

On Tuesday, Honda-owned Acura said it’s pausing advertising on Facebook and Instagram, though the company did not say it was joining the #StopHateForProfit campaign. In multiple tweets Tuesday, Acura said it chooses “to stand with people united against hate and racism.”

HP

The technology giant HP said Monday it was suspending its advertising on Facebook and warned that other social media platforms could soon see similar decisions. HP was Facebook’s 80th-largest advertiser last year, according to Pathmatics, a market intelligence firm. The company spent an estimated $24.7 million on Facebook ads in 2019 alone.

HP did not indicate it was joining the #StopHateForProfit campaign.

Levi Strauss

The apparel company behind the Levi’s and Dockers brands announced June 26 it would pause all ads on Facebook and Instagram as part of the campaign.

Magnolia Pictures

Magnolia Pictures become the first Hollywood studio to join the boycott against Facebook on June 23.

The studio behind films such as “Food, Inc.” and “Man on Wire” said it would stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram immediately through at least the end of July.

Microsoft

Microsoft halted its advertising on Facebook and Instagram in May, and since then has expanded that moratorium to include Facebook’s platforms worldwide, according to a top executive.

Others include: Patagonia Patreon

Pfizer

Puma

The North Face REI

Outdoor equipment retailer REI joined The North Face shortly after its announcement in boycotting Facebook.

Starbucks Target Upwork Unilever Vans Verizon Vertex