The companies that were first to boycott Facebook and denounce the company most vocally for supposedly not doing enough to curb “hate speech” had already dramatically dialed back ad buys before doing so.
REI, The North Face, and Patagonia experienced a steep decline in ad buying on Facebook even before they withdrew from the platform in a supposed attempt to combat its alleged allowance of “hateful lies and dangerous propaganda,” according to data obtained by The Daily Wire via Pathmatics.
Pathmatics is an advertiser database that is “driven to bring transparency and accountability to digital marketing,” according to its website. Its information indicated that ad buying from the outdoor retailers had slumped considerably before they took their stance against the social media giant’s handling of untoward political opinions.
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Patagonia joined with REI and The North Face last month to express indignation at Facebook’s alleged unwillingness “to take sufficient steps to stop the spread of hateful lies and dangerous propaganda,” according to a statement the company released on June 21.
The retailers also accused Facebook of being “complicit in spreading disinformation and fomenting fear and hatred,” as reported by CBS News.
Their action was reportedly in response to demands from Stop Hate for Profit, which has claimed that Facebook is not doing enough to curb the promulgation of hate speech on its platform, for which reason it has urged companies to boycott them.
“We deeply respect any brand’s decision, and remain focused on the important work of removing hate speech and providing critical voting information,” said Carolyn Everson, Vice President of Global Business Group Facebook, in a statement to CBS News. “Our conversations with marketers and civil rights organizations are about how, together, we can be a force for good.”
Neither REI, The North Face, nor Patagonia responded to The Daily Wire in time for publication.
Other companies that have been lauded for pulling out of Facebook, such as Ford, Ben & Jerry’s, Hershey, and Unilever, also significantly dialed back ad buys during the months leading up to their boycott. In what CBS News described as “a powerful statement,” ice cream company Ben & Jerry’s promised “to take stronger action to stop its platforms from being used to divide our nation, suppress voters, foment and fan the flames of racism and violence, and undermine our democracy.”
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Screenshot via Pathmatics
Facebook took flak earlier this month from advertisers who promised to pull their ads from Facebook and Instagram at least through July in an attempt to join “the pressure campaign over the social network’s handling of hate speech and misinformation,” according to CNN.
“The protest came after Facebook decided not to take action on a series of controversial posts from President Donald Trump — including one during racial justice protests that said ‘looting’ would lead to ‘shooting,’” CNN added.
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