facebook ads boycott - outdoor industry leading the way for change

Update: This post was updated on 07.01.20 to reflect the most recent news. For more details, scroll down to the ‘Updates’ section.

#StopHateForProfit: The Outdoor Industry Joins Forces Against Hateful Content and Misinformation on Facebook and Instagram

Heavy hitters in the outdoor industry - Outdoor Research, The North Face, Patagonia, REI, Eddie Bauer, Adidas and Arc’teryx and others - banded together to publicly announce their commitment to pause paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram (which is owned by Facebook) in support of the #StopHateForProfit campaign. The campaign is asking Facebook and Instagram to put stricter policies in place to put an end to hateful content and misinformation on the platforms. 

The move started last Friday with a timely tweet from The North Face:

 
 

This was on Juneteenth, June 19, as the country collectively commemorated the end of slavery in the United States. In the case of The North Face, the brand announced that their boycott will continue until, “stricter policies are put in place to stop racist, violent or hateful content and misinformation from circulating on the platform.” 

Read on for more information on the boycott, how it pertains to the outdoor industry and what your brand can be doing moving forward.

What is the Boycott and Who is Organizing it?

In mid-June 2020, a number of US civil rights organizations including The Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Free Press and Common Sense, pushed large corporations to pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram in a movement known as “Stop Hate for Profit.” This movement urges advertisers to pull their advertising spend from Facebook and Instagram during the month of July until a number of changes are met by the conglomerate social media platform.

Outside published a great piece that explains the boycott and outdoor companies who have spoken out about the issue.

The Ask: 

The organizations stand by the claim that Facebook has failed to address and manage hate and the spread of false information on its platforms. According to the “Product Recommendations” page of the #StopHateforProfit website, the groups are asking Facebook for three primary changes and offer steps to accomplish each.

  • To provide more support to people who are targets of racism, antisemitism and hate

  • To stop generating ad revenue from misinformation and harmful content

  • Increase the safety for private groups on Facebook

Who is Participating?

The number of organizations has grown over the past few days and now include: The North Face, Adidas, Patagonia and REI. These companies have stated that they will not contribute their ad spend to Facebook and Instagram through at least the month of July, and potentially even longer. CNN also reported that Upwork and Dashlane have vocalized their commitment to the movement as well. 

Is it Right for Your Company to Join?

We’ve seen massive shifts in consumer behavior during both the pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. Consumers want to purchase from and follow brands whose values align with their own. Now more than ever, brands are being held accountable for their actions - or lack thereof. However, with all that said, you know your target consumer best - what they like, what they don’t like, what they believe in, what they value, etc. Do you believe you’ll see residual effects for not responding (or responding) down the line? Can you afford NOT to advertise on these platforms? There is not a one size fits all approach. Connect with your team and think critically about what your company can feasibly do or not do. 

Think about how it aligns with your Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs as well. Check our DEI resources for how to get started. 

What are the Alternatives to Facebook & Instagram? How will I reach my Customers?

As a specialty brand or outdoor industry retailer, it may feel like Facebook and Instagram are the only ways to reach your customers. However, 2020 has trained retailers to be nimble and has also trained consumers to adapt.

The good news is - Facebook and Instagram aren’t the only social media platforms. Reallocating what you may have spent on Facebook during the month of July to paid search, such as Google Ads or ads on Linkedin, Twitter, or YouTube among others, could be an option your brand has wanted to explore but hadn’t tried yet. This could also be a great time to experiment with TikTok, SnapChat.

You may also look at paid advertorial options. As publishers become more niche and create even more valuable content for their readers, they are still one of the most trusted sources of information for readers. Be strategic by digging deeper into your Google Analytics. Reviewing the demographics of your users and traffic sources are good places to start. You will be able to create personas and map those back to publishers who fit your users profiles.  

Don’t forget your email list, even if small, is a proven group of fans and followers that believe in your brand. Nurturing this list and engaging them during this time is a great way to share your viewpoints and values and reach your target consumers. And remember you ‘own’ your email list, unlike your followers on Facebook and Instagram. You’ve worked hard for those emails, make sure you utilize them!

Our take: 

We have seen other social media platforms take stronger action on the type of content they allow to be syndicated across their feeds, with varying degrees of success. For example, in 2017 hundreds of advertisers pulled ads from YouTube to enact change ensuring their ads are not displayed on racists or illegal content and again in 2019. While some view these boycotts as PR stunts, it does appear that they do force the platform to scramble, update, and change. 

We’d like Facebook to act fast to end harmful content and misinformation spreading on its platforms. We are hopeful. as we are seeing Facebook employees take action and are staging walkouts around political disinformation and other social issues to get the attention of senior leadership. These employee actions, in a tight tech labor market, along with a Facebook ads boycott maybe be enough to get them to act. We are encouraging our clients to take part.

In a statement to CNN Business, Carolyn Everson, VP Global Business Group Facebook, said: "We deeply respect any brand's decision and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information. Our conversations with marketers and civil rights organizations are about how, together, we can be a force for good."

Let’s hope they act fast. 

For more information, please visit Stop Hate for Profit or contact us with any questions.

Updates: 

Friday (06.26.20): Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that the platform will “start labeling content it finds newsworthy but would violate its rules. Facebook will also bar a wider category of hateful content in ads” - CNET

Monday (06.29.20): Ten additional consumer brands announce they are suspending advertising on Facebook. Including key players in the outdoor space: Adidas, Reebok and Puma. - CNBC

Wednesday (07.01.20): With more than 100 brands pulling advertising on the platform, Facebook agrees to undergo a Brand Safety Audit preformed by the Media Rating Council (MRC), a non-profit that certifies the reliability of audience measurement services. According to an AdWeek piece published today, “Facebook’s audit will include “in-stream, Instant Articles or Audience Network,” according to an announcement on its website, but did not mention whether Instagram or any other specific products will be included.”

DEI, Social MediaChris Dickerson