What to Know About the Facebook Ad Boycott

You’ve probably heard that dozens of major companies are boycotting Facebook.

Here are the details so that you can make an informed decision about your Facebook advertising strategy (if you are currently running ads):

1. Advertisers are boycotting Facebook, dropping their advertising spend from the platform for the month of July (and possibly beyond).
2. This boycott follows a call by the group Stop Hate For Profit to hold Facebook accountable for how it handles misinformation and hate speech.
   • Stop Hate For Profit is calling for Facebook to implement specific changes.
3. Participating businesses include major companies like Coca-Cola, Verizon, and Levi’s.

We at 2 Fish Co. have decided not to run any Facebook ads in the month of July in solidarity with this movement. We encourage you to consider with your team if this may also be the right stance for your business.

The goal of this campaign is to demonstrate that businesses will not stand for Facebook profiting off of hate and bigotry. But it will have another effect: It will make more room for organizations who are normally drowned out by paid corporate advertisements to get their message out.

For-profit partners, consider that by halting your ads for July, you can help social justice organizations amplify their message. Non-profit partners, your message is directly tied to crucial support for the marginalized in our communities. The decision—of course—is up to your team, but we believe there is a strong case for you to continue your planned Facebook advertising efforts.

For those who decide to join the boycott, you may be wondering what you can do to replace Facebook ads in July. While we do want to recognize that Facebook advertising offers specific strengths, we can help you come up with a viable alternative (or alternatives). This could mean LinkedIn ads, retargeting display ads, search engine marketing, or even a focus on engaging organic Facebook content for the month. (Note that Instagram is owned by Facebook, so Instagram ads are included in the boycott.)

Let us know if you have any questions or want to discuss.

You can learn about the Stop Hate For Profit movement here: https://www.stophateforprofit.org/

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