The world of marketing has undoubtedly been enhanced by the introduction and evolution of technology. Social media is a huge asset to businesses looking to expand their reach. However, as with anything, social media isn’t always as perfect as it seems, particularly when it comes to advertising. Enter the Facebook boycott of July 2020 – here’s a little bit of social media news for your morning!
Wait…there’s a Facebook boycott happening?
Yup! The boycott began on July 1, 2020, following an announcement by Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg regarding “steps Facebook is taking to protect the vote in the run-up to election day, including a more aggressive effort to combat voter suppression based on race and ethnicity.” This comes in the wake of a massive surge in the Black Lives Matter movement. As of July 3, 2020, over 750 advertisers have pulled their campaigns from the platform. These advertisers include huge companies such as Coca-Cola, Best Buy, Walgreens, and Hershey; they have also pulled campaigns from Instagram, also owned by Facebook.
Why have these advertisers pulled their campaigns?
Essentially, it boils down to a lot of advertisers being concerned about Facebook’s implied definition of what “free speech” entails; according to an article from Politico, “Complaints about [Facebook’s] civil-rights record have been building for years, and recently reached a fever pitch around Facebook’s decision in late May to leave up a post by President Trump that used the racially charged phrase “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” to discuss Black Lives Matter protesters.” It really boils down to wanting more guidelines in place to keep all users as safe as possible on the platform.
Why does this matter?
If you own a business and use Facebook to advertise, it’s helpful to be aware of what’s going on with the platform. Regardless of your political affiliations, being aware of how others feel towards the platform’s management can help you more effectively reach out; it’s always good to be informed!
Additionally, most of Facebook’s revenue comes from advertisements. It’ll be extremely interesting to see how they deal with this boycott; however, since they have over 8 million advertisers, it may not even make a dent. Again, regardless of your politics, this will be an intriguing situation to watch unfold.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this Facebook boycott! Let us know in the comments if you’ve heard about the boycott and how you think this will all unfold.
If your current marketing strategy just isn’t working anymore, reach out to our incredible team of experts here at Blackwood Creative. We’re in the business of building remarkable brands – yours could be next. Contact us today!
