A growing number of natural and organic brands are hitting ‘pause’ on Facebook advertising as they sign up for the Stop Hate For Profit campaign.
Clif Bar, Earth’s own, Pukka Herbs, Health & Tea, Body Shop, Theo Chocolate and Treehouse are among the list of natural and organic brands listed as participating businesses on the Stop Hate For Profit website.
The new coalition of businesses and NGOs says on its site: “Hundreds of businesses are standing in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality and justice and are pausing advertising on Facebook’s services. Join us and advocate for positive change.”
On its website Clif Bar says it “stands with those who are fighting to uphold the civil rights of Black Americans and ensuring that all people are treated equally with dignity and respect”. It adds: “Unfortunately, too many people experience violent and racist hate speech on Facebook’s platforms—speech that threatens their civil rights, disregards their dignity and spreads misinformation.
Jason Harty, CMO of US organic and fair trade chocolate brand Theo Chocolate, told New Hope last week: “We believe that Facebook hasn’t done enough to address discrimination and hate speech on their platform. There hasn’t been accountability to advertisers to make sure their ads aren’t placed next to hateful or discriminatory content. And because of this we decided to take a stand by joining the boycott and pulling our ads from Facebook and Instagram this month.”
UK-based Pukka Herbs, has also hit ‘pause’ on Facebook advertising. It says: “As a B Corp, we have a responsibility to be a force for good in the world and right now, if enough companies and people come together, social media could become a fairer, kinder place.” The organic herbal tea and supplements brand says it is actively removing advertising from both Facebook and Instagram for the month of July – and ‘perhaps longer’ – in protest against hate speech and racism on social media.