GLOBAL – Unilever has issued a public statement cutting off its dedicated brand advertisement on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. The announcement calls for more responsible distribution of content on these platforms, as the brand makes the commitment to support a safe digital ecosystem.
Unilever shared the following a statement:
“Unilever has long been at the forefront of providing industry leadership within a changing digital supply chain, whether it be viewability, measurement, ad fraud or brand safety and we’ve continued to evolve our approach to address societal issues with the Unilever Responsibility Framework that calls for more responsible platforms, content and infrastructure.”
“Through this framework, we are actively engaging with all digital platforms to make meaningful change and impact trust and transparency. We have made substantial progress, and we acknowledge the efforts of our partners, but there is much more to be done, especially in the areas of divisiveness and hate speech during this polarized election period in the U.S.”
“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.”
“Given our Responsibility Framework and the polarized atmosphere in the U.S., 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. 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.”
“We will maintain our total planned media investment in the U.S. by shifting to other media.”
“We will continue to work with our partners individually and through all industry forums such as the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), World Federation of Advertisers (WFA), Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM), among others, to drive action, transparency, clarify policies and create consistency in enforcement. We are confident this approach will lead to more productive progress.”
