The Brands Boycotting Facebook Ads Over Hate Speech

Facebook is facing a growing boycott by advertisers unhappy with its handling of misinformation and hate speech, including its laissez-faire attitude toward recent posts from President Trump.

The effort gained traction earlier in June amid pressure from civil rights organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Anti-Defamation League. Color of Change, one of the groups backing the boycott, said that nearly 100 advertisers have joined.

Many of the participants are small businesses, which make up the bulk of Facebook’s eight million advertisers. But recently, several large companies who spend millions of dollars a year on the platform have also distanced themselves.

Facebook spends billions of dollars a year to keep its platforms safe and works with outside experts to review and update its policies, the company said in a statement on Friday. But it added that “we know we have more work to do.”

Here is a list of some of the major advertisers who are limiting or stopping their advertising on Facebook, with spending estimates from the advertising analytics platform Pathmatics.

Unilever

The consumer goods giant, one of the biggest advertisers in the world, said on Friday that it would stop running ads on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter in the United States for at least the rest of 2020, citing a “polarized election period.” The company, which owns brands such as Dove and Lipton, said that “continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. Ben & Jerry’s, an ice cream brand owned by the company, said on Tuesday that it was joining the boycott.

Last year, Unilever spent $42.4 million advertising on Facebook in the United States.

Honda America

The automaker, which includes the Honda and Acura brands, spent more than $6 million advertising on Facebook last year. But the company said on Friday that it would withhold ads from Facebook and Instagram in July, “choosing to stand with people united against hate and racism.”

Birchbox

The beauty subscription service said on Friday that it would move advertising spending in July from Facebook and Instagram to other platforms and individual content creators, after steadily reducing its reliance on the social media giant over the past two years. Birchbox said it would continue to be active on its Instagram account.

Verizon

John Nitti, the chief media officer of the telecommunications company, said in a statement on Thursday that it was “pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable and is consistent with what we’ve done with YouTube and other partners.” Verizon, which is stopping both paid ads and unpaid posts, spent $22.9 million on Facebook last year.

Eddie Bauer

The retailer, which spent $1.4 million on Facebook ads last year, said on Tuesday that it was suspending paid ads on Facebook and Instagram through July.

Patagonia

The outdoor products company said on Sunday that it would immediately remove ads globally from Facebook and Instagram at least until the end of July, “pending meaningful action from the social media giant.” The retailer will continue posting unpaid content on Facebook, which it said is its second-largest paid advertising platform. The company spent $6.2 million on Facebook last year.

REI

The retailer, which spent $22.5 million on Facebook last year, said on June 19 that it was pulling all advertising from Facebook and Instagram in July.

The North Face

“We’re in. We’re out,” the retailer wrote on Twitter on June 19, saying that it will stop posting content and buying ads on Facebook through July, but will continue to put free posts on Instagram. The company spends more on Facebook — $3.3 million last year — than it does on any other platform besides Google.