Outdoor goods giant Patagonia has axed all advertising on Facebook and its Instagram photo-sharing service amid concern over its influence on issues ranging from the coronavirus pandemic to racial justice.
Patagonia said in a series of tweets on Twitter that the ban will last until at least the end of next month and accused Facebook of being a channel for “disinformation”.
The retailer, which is well known for taking a stance on ethical and environmental issues, said: ”Patagonia is proud to join the Stop Hate for Profit campaign. We will pull all ads on Facebook and Instagram, effective immediately, through at least the end of July, pending meaningful action from the social media giant.
“For too long, Facebook has failed to take sufficient steps to stop the spread of hateful lies and dangerous propaganda on its platform.
“From secure elections to a global pandemic to racial justice, the stakes are too high to sit back and let the company continue to be complicit in spreading disinformation and fomenting fear and hatred.
”As companies across the country work hard to ensure that Americans have access to free and fair elections this fall, we can’t stand by and contribute resources to companies that contribute to the problem.”
Patagonia head of marketing Cory Bayers said: ”We stand with #StopHateforProfit in saying Facebook’s profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence.”
Another outdoors brand, The North Face, has also said it will not advertise on Facebook “until stricter policies are put in place to stop racist, violent or hateful content and misinformation from circulating on the platform”.
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