Unilever suspends US Facebook, Instagram and Twitter ads over hate speech

Unilever has announced that it was suspending brand advertising in social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the US as part of the ‘Stop Hate for Profit’ campaign that is advocating for stringent measures in social media platforms over hate speech and racist comments.

The company however said it was moving advertisement to other media.

“Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary. Unilever has long been at the forefront of providing industry leadership within a changing digital supply chain, whether it be viewability, measurement, ad fraud or brand safety and we’ve continued to evolve our approach to address societal issues with the Unilever Responsibility Framework that calls for more responsible platforms, content and infrastructure,” read a statement from the company.

It further added that under the responsibility framework it was actively engaging with all digital platforms to make meaningful change and impact trust and transparency adding that although it had made substantial progress there was much more to be done, especially in the areas of divisiveness and hate speech during the polarized election period in the U.S.

Unilever joins a growing list of companies among them Coca-Cola. Starbucks, Honda WPP, and Levi who have taken a definite stand on racism or made investments geared towards tackling racial discrimination.

“We will continue to work with our partners individually and through all industry forums such as the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), among others, to drive action, transparency, clarify policies and create consistency in enforcement. We are confident this approach will lead to more productive progress,” the Unilever statement further read.

www.unilever.com

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