A number of major apparel brands have promised to pull advertising money from Facebook Inc. as part of a coordinated campaign to pressure the social-media giant to crack down on hate speech and misinformation amid nationwide civil-rights protests and the lead-up to the 2020 U.S. presidential election.
Civil rights groups, including the NAACP, the Anti-Defamation League and Color of Change, launched the campaign last week, asking marketers to boycott Facebook ads for the month of July, an effort they’re calling Stop Hate for Profit. The group says that Facebook, which brings in almost all of its revenue from advertising, makes money off user posts that include hate speech, racism and misinformation.
A few large marketers were quick to jump on board. Outdoor apparel brand The North Face, owned by CF Corp., on June 19 tweeted "we’re out,” and confirmed to Bloomberg that it has pulled ad spending for both the main Facebook social network and its photo-sharing app Instagram until August. Recreational Equipment Inc., known as REI, which also sells sporting gear, and Upwork Inc., an online marketplace for freelancers, joined the boycott that afternoon. On June 21, Patagonia Inc. also pledged an advertising pause.