Ticket to freeride

26 June 2020 By John Foley Follow @johnsfoley

Brands like Ben & Jerry’s and Verizon are pulling ad spending from Facebook because of racist content. It’s as if capitalism sprouted a conscience. But much as some might claim otherwise, companies just aren’t wired to drive social change. The possible exception: Facebook itself.

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Facebook has been targeted by companies pledging to withhold their advertising spend for the month of July in response to racist content.

The “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign is organized by six U.S. non-profits including the Anti-Defamation League and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Brands that have publicly backed the campaign include Ben & Jerry’s, the ice cream brand owned by Unilever, outdoor-clothier Patagonia, and The North Face, which is owned by VF Corp.

Separately Verizon Communications, the U.S. telecom group, said on June 25 that it was “pausing” spending with the social network, because its ads had appeared in a way that was not compatible with its “brand safety standards.”

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