Starbucks has decided to stop advertisements on “all social media platforms,” including Facebook. A growing number of well-known companies are boycotting Facebook ads. The company received critics for neglecting hate speech such as racism.
According to CNBC and the New York Times on the 28th, Starbucks emphasized the importance of “uniting communities offline and online.”
A Starbucks spokesman said Google-owned YouTube advertisements continue, unlike Facebook
He also drew a line that he would not join the “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign launched by U.S. civic groups earlier this month. This is a campaign to stop advertising July on Facebook. Which does not actively regulate hate posts.
Facebook’s argument is that it is not active in protecting black users and regulating the spread of news by unqualified media companies.
Amid such a massive campaign to denounce Facebook, Starbucks is not the only global company that has entered the campaign to stop advertising on social media targeting Facebook.
Earlier on Wednesday, Coca-Cola announced that it would not advertise on all social media platforms around the world for at least 30 days. Coca-Cola spokesman also distanced himself from the official participation of Facebook’s boycott.
Unilever stopped advertising on Facebook, Facebook-owned Instagram and Twitter for U.S. consumers until Dec. 31. Sports clothing company Lululemon has also decided to stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram.
According to the social media movement organization Sleeping Giants, more than 100 companies responded to requests to boycott Facebook advertisements in July. Levi’s, Patagonia, EI, Rending Club and North Face.
This is a small percentage compared to all advertisers who run ads on Facebook. Last year, Facebook’s ad sales reached nearly $70 billion. And most of the 8 million advertisers were small and medium-sized companies that did not participate in the campaign.
Criticism against Facebook has grown in the wake of protests against the death of African-American George Floyd. Floyd was a victim of a second degree murder by a white police officer. Facebook did not do anything about President Donald Trump racist criticism. Previously, Trump commented, “When the looting starts, the shooting starts” at the BLM movement.
