Patagonia is the Latest Retailer to Join the Boycott of Facebook Ads

Patagonia has joined companies like REI and The North Face, saying it plans to pause advertising on Facebook and Instagram to show support for a movement called ”#StopHateForProfit,” reports CNBC. Last week, a group of six organizations called on Facebook advertisers to pause their spending on the social media platform during the month of July. The groups — the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Sleeping Giants, Color of Change, Free Press, and Common Sense — asked “large Facebook advertisers to show they will not support a company that puts profit over safety.” The organizations said this was in response to “Facebook’s long history of allowing racist, violent and verifiably false content to run rampant on its platform.” Patagonia said it would “pull all ads on Facebook and Instagram, effective immediately, through at least the end of July, pending meaningful action from the social media giant.”

Total Retail's Take: As more retailers release statements, make donations and enact organizational change in response to recent national racial justice protests, it makes sense that the pressure continues to expand into different functions of their businesses, including marketing and advertising. It's no surprise that Patagonia joins the movement, as the brand is known for its activism, including its endorsements of political candidates in 2018 election. Furthermore, the brand released a statement on social injustice in May. Consumers are increasingly interested in the values and ethics upheld by the companies they support, and Patagonia's loyal customer base is used to seeing these types of actions from the brand. Retailers are feeling more pressure than ever to acknowledge social issues or enact corporate responsibility programs. As the ”#StopHateForProfit” movement continues to grow, it will be interesting to see if other brands, retailers and organizations join in, how Facebook handles this loss in ad revenue, and lastly how consumers react.