Jewish American Heritage Month

Posted By admin on July 1, 2020

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.

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 organizations are about how, together, we can be a force for good."

Adidas

The sportswear company Adidas said Monday it is 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."

The company did not say it was formally joining the #StopHateForProfit advertiser boycott, which is being organized by civil rights groups.

Arc'teryx

The outdoor apparel brand added that it will be donating the money it would have spent on Facebook and Instagram ads toward "building more inclusive outdoors."

Ben & Jerry's

"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

Beam Suntory the company behind Jim Beam, Maker's Mark and other spirits said on June 28 that it will join the #StopHateForProfit boycott of Facebook.

In a statement, Beam Suntory said it will pause all Facebook and Instagram advertising for the month of July and hinted it could last longer.

"We stand up for what's right, and we stand with all who are committed to the fight against hate speech, racism and prejudice," the statement said. "We hope this collective action helps catalyze positive change and accountability, and we will evaluate our advertising approach beyond July as we await Facebook's response."

Birchbox

Birchbox, the monthly beauty box subscription, said on June 26 it is joining the advertising boycott against Facebook.

The company said that instead of spending on Facebook and Instagram in July, it would be reallocating its ad dollars toward "other platforms and to support more individual content creators."

Blue Bottle Coffee

"We stand with the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Color of Change, and many more organizations and brands to call on Facebook and its platforms to do more to prevent hate speech, incitement and misinformation," the company said. "While the leadership of Facebook has made some changes, we support Stop Hate for Profit's call for continued action by Mark Zuckerberg to meet the full demands of the campaign."

Blue Shield of California

Blue Shield of California said it would join the campaign organized by civil rights groups and said it would donate the unused money to a social justice non-profit.

"Blue Shield of California stands against injustice and stands for equity. We are committed to using our voice, influence and power to inspire change. And this is one way we can do that," Blue Shield of California said in a statement to employees that was also posted to its website.

Chobani

Yogurt maker Chobani said Monday it is joining the #StopHateForProfit ad boycott of Facebook and pausing all paid advertising on social media.

"Action over advertising," the company said in a tweet. "We've always stood against hate & bigotry and it is our duty to help change these platforms."

Clorox

Clorox said Monday it will pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram through the end of the year.

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.

"We will continue to monitor this situation and revisit our position as needed," it said. "In the meantime, we will evolve our standards and guidelines for progress for all platforms and publishers to reflect our rising expectations for greater responsibility as these channels continue to become a more important part of people's lives."

Clorox did not say it was formally joining the #StopHateForProfit campaign.

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.

Dashlane

Dashlane, which is a password manager, has committed to pulling advertisements for at least the month of July, Joy Howard, the company's CMO, said in a blog post via the company's website on June 22.

Howard hinted that the boycott could extend beyond that.

Howard has called on CMOs from other tech companies to join the boycott.

Denny's

Denny's, the popular diner-style restaurant chain, said on June 29 that it is also joining the boycott and will pause all paid advertising on Facebook starting July 1.

"As America's Diner, we offer an inclusive and welcoming environment where all people can enjoy a nice meal and we strongly oppose hate speech of any kind. It is our belief that Facebook has not done enough to address this important issue on its platform and we are calling on Facebook to make positive changes to its process for combatting hate speech and disinformation," Denny's said in a statement.

As of now, Denny's will pause ads on Facebook for the entire month of July, a spokeswoman for the company told CNN.

Diageo

"We will continue to discuss with media partners how they will deal with unacceptable content," the tweet said.

Eddie Bauer

The company did not indicate, as some others have, whether their suspension could last longer.

Eileen Fisher

Ford

Ford said Monday it is 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 is joining the boycott, even after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg took to a public livestream that day to meet the public backlash.

In addition to joining the monthlong pause in July from Facebook advertising, the company said it will "cut our spending on Facebook and their platforms, including Instagram, by a third for the remainder of the year."

"We do not believe that Facebook is effectively managing violent and divisive speech on their platform," the company said. "Despite repeated assertions by Facebook to take action, we have not seen meaningful change. Earlier this month we communicated to Facebook that we were unhappy with their stance on hate speech. ... We are hopeful that Facebook will take action and make it a safe space for our consumers to communicate and gather. As a company, we stand for the values of togetherness and inclusion and we are resolute in our commitment to make a difference and be part of positive change."

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.

"For the month of July, American Honda will withhold its advertising on Facebook and Instagram, choosing to stand with people united against hate and racism," the company said in a statement. "This is inalignment with our company's values, which are grounded in human respect."

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.

HP

The technology giant HP said Monday it is suspending its advertising on Facebook and warned that other social media platforms could soon see similar decisions.

"We have expressed deep concerns to Facebook and are stopping U.S. advertising on the platform until we see more robust safeguards in place," the company said. "We are also reviewing our social media strategy across all markets and platforms, and we will take additional actions as needed to protect our brand and combat hateful content."

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.

JanSport

Known for its iconic brand of backpacks, JanSport announced on June 26 it would no longer advertise with Facebook and Instagram for the month of July.

It is the second brand owned by VF Corp. to sign onto the #StopHateForProfit campaign, a week after The North Face also announced it would pull ads from Facebook and Instagram.

Lego

Lego said it would suspend its social media advertising globally in July, though it did not say it was joining the #StopHateForProfit campaign.

In a statement, the Lego Chief Marketing Officer Julia Goldin said: "We are committed to having a positive impact on children and the world they will inherit. That includes contributing to a positive, inclusive digital environment free from hate speech, discrimination and misinformation."

The company said it will reallocate its social media ad spend to other platforms. It added that during the pause, it will review the standards it applies to social media advertising.

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.

MassMutual

The life insurance company MassMutual said on Twitter it will pause "all of our organic and paid Facebook and Instagram marketing for the month of July."

"Anything less would be inconsistent with our values and purpose as a company," said Jennifer Halloran, the company's head of marketing.

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.

The revelation shows how Facebook lost one of its biggest advertisers weeks before the boycott began.

In 2019, Microsoft was Facebook's third-largest advertiser after Home Depot and Walmart, spending nearly $116 million on the platform, according to Pathmatics, a market intelligence firm.

Chris Capossela, Microsoft's chief marketing officer, wrote in a recent internal messaging post that while the company's pullback from Facebook is not a part of any boycott initiative, Microsoft's decision could "continue through August."

"Based on concerns we had back in May we suspended all media spending on Facebook/Instagram in the US and we've subsequently suspended all spending on Facebook/Instagram worldwide," Capossela wrote.

Capossela's post was first reported by Axios, and confirmed by a Microsoft spokesperson, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal communications.

According to Capossela's post, Microsoft's decision is being driven by brand safety concerns about its advertisements showing up beside content such as hate speech and terrorist material. CNN has reported that brand safety issues are a likely factor in many brands' decision making about whether to suspend advertising on social platforms such as Facebook.

Patagonia

Patagonia, another outdoor apparel brand, pulled advertising on Facebook and Instagram on June 21 as part of the boycott.

"As companies across the country work hard to ensure that Americans have access to free and fair elections this fall, we can't stand by and contribute resources to companies that contribute to the problem."

The company said it stands with the campaign and that the social media network's profits is never "worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence."

Patreon

The crowdfunding website Patreon said on June 29 it is joining an advertising boycott of Facebook.

The company, whose platform raises money for online content creators, said in a tweet it's pausing all ads on Facebook and Instagram "effective immediately."

"At Patreon, we believe in building safe communities for creators and their fans, which means we do not tolerate hate speech of any kind," Patreon said in a tweet. "We encourage our industry peers to do the same by stopping the monetization of hate based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, medical conditions or disability."

Pfizer

Pfizer said Monday it is joining the #StopHateForProfit campaign to boycott Facebook's advertising platform.

Link:
Facebook boycott: View the list of companies pulling ads - CNN

Category: Anti-Defamation League
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