An effort to pressure Facebook to crack down on hate speech and misinformation has prompted dozens of advertisers to say they’ll stop spending on the platform. Here are some of the biggest companies involved.

Facebook is seeing a growing boycott by advertisers unhappy with its handling of misinformation and hate speech, including its laissez-faire attitude toward recent posts from President Trump.

The effort gained traction earlier in June amid pressure from civil rights organizations like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Anti-Defamation League. Color of Change, one of the groups backing the boycott, said that nearly 100 advertisers have joined.

Many of the participants are small businesses, which make up the bulk of Facebook’s eight million advertisers. But recently, several large companies that spend millions of dollars a year on the platform have also distanced themselves. Some are also halting their advertising from Twitter and other social media sites, along with Facebook’s platforms.

Facebook spends billions of dollars a year to keep its platforms safe and works with outside experts to review and update its policies, the company said in a statement on Friday. But it added that “we know we have more work to do.”

Here is a list of some of the major advertisers that are limiting or stopping their advertising on Facebook, with estimates of what they spent last year in the United States from the advertising analytics platform Pathmatics.

Adidas and Reebok
$12.4 million

The brands, which have the same parent company, said on Monday that it would stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram globally for the month of July and would also develop guidelines for holding “ourselves and every one of our partners accountable for creating and maintaining safe environments.”

Aviva
$30,700

The insurance firm said Tuesday it would pause paid advertising on Facebook in Britain indefinitely. “We regularly review which social media platforms we use and have taken this moment to pause and reassess Aviva’s use of Facebook for advertising in the U.K.,” the company said in a statement.

Beam Suntory
$604,500

The spirits company, which owns the Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark brands, said on Sunday that it would stop all paid Facebook and Instagram advertising in the United States across its portfolio through July. The company said it would evaluate its post-July advertising strategy while waiting for Facebook to respond.

Best Buy
$29 million

On Monday, the electronics retailer said it would join the boycott for the month of July, pulling ads from both Facebook and Instagram.

Birchbox
$947,100

The beauty subscription service said on Friday that it would move advertising spending in July from Facebook and Instagram to other platforms and individual content creators, after steadily reducing its reliance on the social media giant over the past two years. Birchbox said it would continue to be active on its Instagram account.

Chobani
$1.6 million

The company known for its Greek yogurt said on Monday that it would stop all of its paid social advertising, saying on Twitter that it is its “duty to help change these platforms.”

Clif Bar & Company
$207,100

The energy bar company, which also owns Luna Bar, said on Monday that it would suspend Facebook and Instagram advertising globally in July to push the social media sites to “take responsibility for the racist hate speech and misinformation on their platforms.”

The Clorox Company
$8.9 million

The company, known for its disinfecting products as well as brands such as Burt’s Bees, Glad and Pine-Sol, said on Monday that it would stop spending on Facebook through December and shift its spending elsewhere. Hate speech on the platform “creates an increasingly unhealthy environment for people and our purpose-driven brands,” Clorox said on its website.

Coca-Cola
$22.1 million

The beverage giant, another deep-pocketed advertiser, said on Friday that it would stop all paid ads on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days. James Quincey, the chief executive, said in a statement that the company would use the time to reassess its advertising standards and policies and would let its social media partners know that “we expect greater accountability, action and transparency from them.” A Coca-Cola spokeswoman said that the company was not joining the official Facebook boycott.

ConAgra
$2 million

The food giant, owner of brands like Duncan Hines and Pam, said on Monday that it was stopping all paid Facebook and Instagram advertising in the United States through the end of the year but will continue to post unpaid content on the platforms.

Denny’s
$689,900

Denny’s said in a statement that Facebook “has not done enough to address” hate speech and disinformation. The restaurant chain said in a statement on Monday that it would stop all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram on July 1, but will continue to post unpaid content.

Diageo
$22.9 million

The alcohol company said on Saturday that it would stop paying for advertising on all social media platforms starting on July 1 and “will continue to discuss with media partners how they deal with unacceptable content.”

Eddie Bauer
$1.4 million

The retailer said on Tuesday that it was suspending paid ads on Facebook and Instagram through July.

Edgewell Personal Care
N/A

The consumer products company, which owns more than 25 brands such as Schick, Banana Boat and Playtex, said on Monday that it had joined the boycott “to ensure that our communities are safe from the spread of hate speech” on Facebook and Instagram. Rod Little, the chief executive of Edgewell, said in a post on LinkedIn that the company was “more hopeful of forthcoming progress” after Facebook announced new labeling policies but said that “they alone are inadequate.” The company said it spends millions of dollars each month on Facebook and Instagram, where it will continue to post unpaid content.

Ford
$20 million

The automaker said on Monday that it was stopping all national social media advertising for the next 30 days and would re-evaluate its presence on the platforms. “The existence of content that includes hate speech, violence and racial injustice on social platforms needs to be eradicated,” the company said in a statement.

Hershey’s
$36.5 million

The chocolate manufacturer said that it cut spending on Facebook and its platforms by a third for the rest of the year and was joining the boycott after telling Facebook earlier in June that it was displeased with the platform’s handling of hate speech. “Despite repeated assertions by Facebook to take action, we have not seen meaningful change,” Hershey’s said in a statement.

HP
$24.7 million

The technology company said on Monday that it would stop U.S. advertising on Facebook and Instagram until the platform had “more robust safeguards in place” to prevent the brand’s ads from appearing alongside offensive content. The company also said they would pause unpaid organic publishing on both platforms.

Honda America
$6 million

The automaker, which includes the Honda and Acura brands, said on Friday that it would withhold ads from Facebook and Instagram in July, “choosing to stand with people united against hate and racism.”

JanSport
$742,800

“Count us out, Facebook,” the backpack maker wrote on Twitter on Friday. The company said it would stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram for the month of July.

Kind Snacks
$2.6 million

The company known for its granola bars said on Tuesday that it would suspend all advertising spending across all Facebook-owned properties in July. “We used to love that Facebook was a platform where you could know who users were and you felt connected to the community,” the company said in a statement. “But it has since been overtaken by fake accounts and trolls and tools of disinformation, bigotry, and hatred.”

Levi Strauss & Company
$2.8 million

Jen Sey, the chief marketing officer of the clothing company, wrote a blog post on Friday criticizing Facebook’s “failure to stop the spread of misinformation and hate speech on its platform” and saying that “this inaction fuels racism and violence and also has the potential to threaten our democracy and the integrity of our elections.” Ms. Sey wrote that Levi Strauss would suspend advertising at least through the end of July, adding that “when we re-engage will depend on Facebook’s response.”

Lululemon
$1.6 million

On Friday, the fitness apparel retailer voiced solidarity on Twitter with the boycott campaign and said that it was “actively engaging with Facebook to seek meaningful change.” A Lululemon spokeswoman said that the company would suspend paid ads on Facebook and Instagram.

Madewell
$3.5 million

The retailer joined the boycott on Monday by stopping spending on Facebook and Instagram in July.

Mars Inc.
$5.3 million

The confectionery and pet food company, known for brands including M&Ms, Snickers and Pedigree, said on Tuesday that it would pause paid advertising globally across Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Snapchat starting in July. “Mars has a responsibility and an opportunity to make a meaningful and measurable difference in the fight against racism, hate, violence and discrimination — we expect all of the social media platform partners we work with to do the same,” the company said in a statement.

Microsoft
$115.9 million

The software and technology company said on Monday that it was suspending advertising on Facebook and Instagram worldwide. The announcement comes after Microsoft had already paused U.S. advertising on the platforms in May. The company said it expected the suspension to continue through August.

The North Face
$3.3 million

“We’re in. We’re out,” the retailer wrote on Twitter on June 19, saying that it will stop posting content and buying ads on Facebook through July, but will continue to put free posts on Instagram. The company spends more on Facebook than it does on any other platform besides Google.

Patagonia
$6.2 million

The outdoor products company said on June 21 that it would immediately remove ads globally from Facebook and Instagram at least until the end of July, “pending meaningful action from the social media giant.” The retailer will continue posting unpaid content on Facebook, which it said is its second-largest paid advertising platform.

Patreon
$178,700

The crowdfunding site Patreon said on Monday that it would remove all ads on Facebook and Instagram “until significant action is taken by Facebook.” “Count us in,” the company wrote on Twitter, adding that it believes “in building safe communities for creators and their fans.”

Pfizer
$54.5 million

The pharmaceutical corporation said on Monday that it would remove all ads on Facebook and Instagram for the month of July. “At Pfizer, our Equity Value is core to who we are as a company, and all forms of hate speech go against that value,” Dr. Albert Bourla, the company’s chairman and chief executive, said in a statement.

Puma
$2.1 million

The athletic apparel and footwear maker said on Monday that it would stop advertising on Facebook and Instagram during July. The company said it will continue to post unpaid content on both platforms “to continue to connect with our consumers.”

REI
$22.5 million

The retailer said on June 19 that it was pulling all advertising from Facebook and Instagram in July.

SAP
$64,800

The software company said on Monday that it would suspend all paid advertisements from Facebook and Instagram until the platforms demonstrated a “significant, action-driven commitment to combating the spread of hate speech and racism.”

Smucker’s
$1.1 million

The J.M. Smucker Company said Monday that none of its more than 40 brands would advertise on Facebook or Instagram throughout the month of July. The manufacturer of jam, peanut butter, fruit syrups and other products pledged that it will “only advertise on platforms that are taking meaningful, systemic steps to rid their ecosystems of hate speech and discriminatory content.”

Starbucks
$94.9 million

The coffee chain said on Sunday that it would “pause advertising on all social media platforms while we continue discussions internally, with our media partners and with civil rights organizations in the effort to stop the spread of hate speech.”

Target
$46.4 million

The retailer said on Tuesday that it would pause advertising with Facebook and Instagram for the month of July.

Truth Initiative
$1.1 million

The nonprofit organization, known for its antismoking and vaping campaigns, said on Monday that it would pause all paid advertising on Facebook and Instagram for the month of July. The organization, which tends to spend a third of its total marketing budget on social media, will continue to post unpaid content on the platforms.

Unilever
$42.4 million

The consumer goods giant, one of the biggest advertisers in the world, said on Friday that it would stop running ads on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter in the United States for at least the rest of 2020, citing a “polarized election period.” The company, which owns brands such as Dove and Lipton, said that “continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society.” Ben & Jerry’s, an ice cream brand owned by the company, said on Tuesday that it was joining the boycott.

Vans
$437,700

The shoemaker said on Monday that it would remove ads from Facebook and Instagram during July and use the money it would have spent (along with the cost of retail store window displays in the United States and Canada) on programs and initiatives to support black communities and racial equality.

Verizon
$22.9 million

John Nitti, the chief media officer of the telecommunications company, said in a statement on Thursday that it was “pausing our advertising until Facebook can create an acceptable solution that makes us comfortable and is consistent with what we’ve done with YouTube and other partners.” Verizon is stopping both paid ads and unpaid posts.

The Volkswagen Group
$13.7 million

The German car manufacturer said Tuesday that it would suspend advertisements on Facebook and Instagram worldwide during the month of July. “The Volkswagen Group stands for open interaction with each other based on equality,” the company said in a statement. “An environment of fake news or hate speech is therefore unacceptable to us.”

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Date Posted: Tuesday, June 30th, 2020 , Total Page Views: 748