Ben & Jerry’s has become the latest business to join a growing number pulling advertising from Facebook over the platform’s failure to do more to remove hate speech.
The ice-cream maker, which is owned by the Anglo-Dutch group Unilever, will pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram in the US.
This week the outdoor clothing retailers The North Face, Patagonia and REI also withdrew advertising from Facebook.
Unilever has been approached for comment. The company owns brands including PG Tips, Marmite, Pot Noodle and Dove soap.
Ben & Jerry’s made the move after the launch of the Stop Hate for Profit campaign group in the US. It was set up after George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was killed while being detained by a white police officer, Derek Chauvin, in Minneapolis, and subsequent Black Lives Matter protests.
Stop Hate for Profit is taking on Facebook after its founder, Mark Zuckerberg, failed to take action on inflammatory posts made by Donald Trump and widespread racism on the platform.
Ben & Jerry’s said it was standing with the campaign 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”.
After the death of Floyd, Ben & Jerry’s chief executive, Matthew McCarthy, said business should be held accountable as he set out plans to increase diversity.
Facebook has previously said it is committed to “advancing equity and racial justice … We’re taking steps to review our policies, ensure diversity and transparency when making decisions on how we apply our policies, and advance racial justice and voter engagement on our platform”.
The Stop Hate for Profit campaign was launched by advocacy groups, including the Anti-Defamation League, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and the Color Of Change.
Stop Hate for Profit has called on advertisers to pressure Facebook to adopt stricter measures against racist and hateful content by stopping all advertising spend on Facebook throughout July. In 2019, the social network had advertising revenue of almost $70bn (£56bn).
source https://www.theguardian.com/business/2020/jun/24/ben-and-jerrys-joins-facebook-advertising-boycott-racism
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