A major retail brand is pulling advertisements from top social media platforms Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram until “at least” the end of 2020.
Unilever, which makes Hellmann’s mayonnaise and Dove soap, followed the lead of other companies such as Verizon that have pulled back advertisements on social media hubs until the platforms, especially Facebook, retool their hate speech moderation.
“We have decided that starting now through at least the end of the year, we will not run brand advertising in social media newsfeed platforms Facebook, Instagram and Twitter in the U.S.,” Unilever wrote. “Continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society. We will be monitoring ongoing and will revisit our current position if necessary.”
Unilever representatives said the current state of political discourse has created a situation where the company had to act.
“The complexities of the current cultural landscape have placed a renewed responsibility on brands to learn, respond and act to drive a trusted and safe digital ecosystem,” the company wrote.
Unilever joins Ben & Jerry’s, a Vermont-based ice cream brand, in pulling advertisements from Facebook.
