Starbucks on Sunday joined the drumbeat of brands pledging to pull advertising from Facebook and other social media platforms or taking other actions, putting economic pressure on the …
Starbucks on Sunday joined the drumbeat of brands pledging to pull advertising from Facebook and other social media platforms or taking other actions, putting economic pressure on the companies to address concerns about containing hate speech.
The coffee chain joins big brands including Coca-Cola, Unilever, Hershey, Honda, Eddie Bauer, The North Face, Levi’s, Ben & Jerry’s and Verizon in taking various steps.
Much of the activity stems from the #StopHateForProfit campaign, which includes the NAACP, Anti-Defamation League, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Free Press and Common Sense.
While some of the brands have pledged to halt advertising in July, some are taking additional steps or different approaches.
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« We will pause advertising on all social media platforms while we continue discussions internally, with our media partners and with civil rights organizations in the effort to stop the spread of hate speech, » Starbucks said in a statement. The company said it’s not part of the boycott.
Hershey said it will cut spending on Facebook and Instagram by a third for the rest of the year. Coca-Cola said it plans to pause advertising on all social media platforms for at least 30 days while it revisits its advertising policies.
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« We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners, » reads a statement from James Quincey, chairman and CEO of Coca-Cola.
Patagonia, REI, Mozilla and Upwork and about 100 smaller companies have said they are committed to the advertising boycott.
