The chorus of voices in unison with #StopHateForProfit swells; Facebook does damage control amidst falling shares.
The ultimate guide to – producing measurable, monetizable results with social media marketing.
2 min read
It has not been a great week for Facebook, but it’s not the only target of the Anti-Defamation League’s insurgent #StopHateForProfit social media campaign. Twitter has likewise taken its lumps as corporations — either out of conscience or calculation — ranging from consumer-goods giant Unilever to workout-apparel manufacturers Lululemon and ice-cream iconoclasts Ben & Jerry’s (see “Related” link below) beg off placing ads on social media sites until they take a definitive zero-tolerance stand against entities and individuals who use the platforms as megaphones for hateful and often falsified rhetoric.
But Facebook has been the primary target, perhaps because Twitter has been viewed as a bit more assertive in moderating its more provocative content and exiling abusers of late. Or, possibly, because Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg continues to function as an avatar for the tech world’s historically laissez-faire approach to policing open forums.
This past weekend was a bit of a bloodbath for the social media giants, as the likes of Starbucks (which has had to do a bit of its own image repair after returning a massive government-stimulus loan), Coca-Cola and global spirits titan Diageo all announced pauses on their social media ad-spend. (Though, somewhat significantly, none of those three companies chose to align themselves explicitly with #StopHateForProfit.)
Related: Ben & Jerry’s Joins Facebook and Instagram Boycott, Pushes for Transgender Rights
On Saturday, Facebook took the rare and prompt action of rolling out new warning labels and guidelines concerning hate speech and misinformation, although — like Twitter — it maintains that even inflammatory posts from figures like President Trump are newsworthy.
Alas, that hasn’t helped the company’s valuation from taking a hit. Per Marketwatch, Facebook shares fell 2 percent ahead of open trading this morning (Twitter’s were down nearly 2.5 percent).
Here is a complete list of companies specifically participating in #StopHateForProfit.
A group of civil rights organizations blasted Facebook on Wednesday, calling out the platform’s role in allowing hate and bigotry to fester and urging an advertiser boycott.
The groups, including the NAACP, Color of Change and the Anti-Defamation League, are asking what the social network could do with the $70 billion in annual revenue that it makes from advertising — claiming that Facebook’s tolerance of hate allowed white supremacy and racism to flourish.
“Today, we are asking all businesses to stand in solidarity with our most deeply held American values of freedom, equality and justice and not advertise on Facebook’s services in July,” a full page ad in The Los Angeles Times says. “Let’s send Facebook a powerful message: Your profits will never be worth promoting hate, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence.”
BOSTON DYNAMICS’ SPOT ROBOT DOG IS NOW FOR SALE, BUT IT’LL COST YOU
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is seen above.
(Getty Images)
GITHUB TO REMOVE ‘MASTER’ AND ‘SLAVE’ CODING TERMS SEEN AS RACIALLY INSENSITIVE
Although many of these groups have been in conversation with Facebook for several years, and the company has invested in content moderators and machine learning technology to remove hate speech, the organizations believe it hasn’t done enough to stem the spread of racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry.
The tech giant has faced renewed pressure, including from some of its own employees who staged a virtual walkout, to remove or fact-check posts from President Trump regarding the ongoing protests and riots over racism and police brutality in the U.S. However, CEO Mark Zuckerberg defended the decision in a companywide video conference.
In contrast, Twitter put a label on Trump’s tweets for “glorifying violence.”
Organizers, who are starting with dozens of companies that advertise on Facebook and plan to eventually include hundreds, are hoping that the boycott has the effect of forcing the social network to move quickly.
“We have long seen how Facebook has allowed some of the worst elements of society into our homes and our lives. When this hate spreads online it causes tremendous harm and also becomes permissible offline,” said Jonathan Greenblatt, ADL CEO, in a statement emailed to Fox News.
GERMANY’S CORONAVIRUS TRACING APP WILL LAUNCH THIS WEEK
“Our organizations have tried individually and collectively to push Facebook to make their platforms safer, but they have repeatedly failed to take meaningful action. We hope this campaign finally shows Facebook how much their users and their advertisers want them to make serious changes for the better,” he added.
6 min read
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Advertising-tech company Criteo hopes to shift away from being known as a niche leader in ad retargeting and redefine itself as “the ad-tech company for the open internet.” Leading that charge is Megan Clarken, who was hired as the company’s chief executive in October 2019.
Clarken’s task isn’t an easy one — ad tech is struggling to keep up with the changing current of consumer attitudes toward data tracking and targeting, as well as the policy and throttling measures being taken in response by governments and browsers. And a global pandemic has made it even tougher. I caught up with her in hopes of learning more about these challenges, and what overcoming them will look like for both the brand and industry as a whole.
It’s heartbreaking to see this pandemic affect the day-to-day lives of so many people and their loved ones across the world. Professionally, I often get the question, “Have you ever been through anything like this before?” And the truth is no; no one has. I’m stepping foot into unknown territory as so many other leaders are. It does remind me, though, of an earlier experience in my career when I was employee number four at a startup. Being one of the first employees, I was a part of the team that turned the lights on and raised money to grow the business. Suddenly, we hit the dotcom crash and had to let go all 160-plus employees, eventually turning all the lights out. It was one of the hardest experiences and toughest economic environments I’ve dealt with professionally, but it pales in comparison to the situation we are currently facing.
What I can say is that while leading an organization through a challenge like this, compassion plus decisive leadership is what people need most. It’s important for leaders to stay on track with their long-term strategy, keep the team moving in the right direction and be agile. I always come back to the same analogy: Ensure that your organization moves like a flock of birds. Every person should know what is going on, where they are headed and what they personally need to do to achieve a collective goal. If one person veers off in the wrong direction, the people around them should be able to help them get back on the path that the company is headed on.
Related: Makers of Tomorrow: CareerBuilder CEO Irina Novoselsky
The key task for marketers now is to be even more conscious of their messaging and adapt it to today’s reality to give the consumer added value. For branding campaigns, we’re seeing a big pivot to more human-centered advertisements, as opposed to product-focused ones. That said, a large part of what we continue to do is help our clients send the right message to their customers at the right time. For some partners, that might mean helping them show products their customers need, tailored to their environment.
And brand safety is an ongoing concern. It’s more important than ever to use the right set of tools to avoid brands appearing alongside unsuitable or brand-damaging content.
Smart marketers will use data to make informed decisions, set benchmarks and track the progress of their strategies across channels along the way. If you have a comprehensive view of your customers, you can mine the data for insights to understand how their behavior has changed. Use what you learn to shift strategy (for example, adjusting featured categories and merchandising), and lean into current trends in outreach. We are navigating uncharted waters right now, so it’s important for advertisers to pay close attention to what is working and what isn’t so adjustments can be made swiftly.
In addition, advertisers benefit from an omnichannel strategy that delivers a unified message. During the pandemic, consumers have been influenced by more channels than ever with the rise of connected TV, new social media channels and in-app shopping features, so their shopping habits have changed. Advertisers must take these new behaviors in mind to engage and reengage with consumers in the ways they like to shop, in addition to in-store.
The rebound of America will require a tremendous amount of TLC. Given the various stages of reopening and awareness, it will be important that brands are implementing advertising strategies that are regionally based and adhere to state and local governmental policy.
There is an opportunity for brands to use advertising as a key component in disseminating their unique messages and as a platform to provide a sense of localized community that ensures consumers feel safe in their purchasing decisions. Leaders across the advertising industry will need to work hand-in-hand with these brands to ensure their omnichannel advertising strategy aligns not only with the core values they’ve instilled in their current customer base, but also look at broader regional policy to ensure a smooth transition for brands when reopening.
As stores begin to reopen, brands should keep consumers updated with awareness campaigns that reflect the current status of their store and what consumers can expect as the “new normal” in-store experience. Many consumers will be debating whether to continue shopping online instead of going in-store, and what is communicated in these campaigns, particularly the exchange of value, will help inform that decision.
Related: Makers of Tomorrow: William Wang
Consumers have to get to products that they need and, most importantly, what is available to them and can be delivered. Consumers are also looking for ease in getting to this outcome. Getting the right message, to the right person, at the right time, on the right device, is the winning formula right now. It not only helps with brand awareness, but it helps with product consideration and, ultimately, conversion and loyalty.
Copyrights © 2020 Business Achievement Awards All Rights Reserved.