More companies are joining big brands including Unilever, Honda and Verizon in halting advertising on Facebook despite CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlining several steps the social network will take to combat hate speech.
On Friday night, The Hershey Company confirmed in a statement to USA TODAY it will join a boycott involving several companies that will halt advertising for July. Hershey also said it will cut spending on Facebook and Instagram by a third for the rest of the year.
“We do not believe that Facebook is effectively managing violent and divisive speech on their platform,” said The Hershey Company in a statement. “Despite repeated assertions by Facebook to take action, we have not seen meaningful change.”
Meanwhile, Coca-Cola said it plans to pause advertising on all social media platforms for at least 30 days while it revisits its advertising policies. “We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners,” reads a statement from James Quincey, chairman and CEO of The Coca-Cola Company.
