This month, The Coca-Cola Company is pausing all digital advertising on social media platforms globally – for July at least and perhaps beyond.
James Quincey, Chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company, stated that this time will be used to reassess advertising standards and policies, and what should be expected of social media partners to rid the platforms of hate, violence and inappropriate content.
This decision comes as part of a broader boycott of Facebook’s platforms including Facebook itself and Instagram organised by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), the NAACP, and other organizations called the “Stop Hate For Profit” campaign. The recent boycott campaign started with outdoor living brands such as The North Face and Patagonia. Other enterprise companies have since joined such as Unilever, Verizon, and support for the initiative has been voiced by Ben & Jerry’s and Magnolia Pictures. Diageo and Honda have since announced they will also pause paid advertising on major social media platforms this month.
Facebook has recently reconsidered its practices and will now ban advertising that presents races and/or religions as threats. However, this may not be sufficient to change the hate and harassment present on social media. An open letter by the ADL to all companies who advertise on Facebook sets out what is wrong with Facebook and what changes are needed.