Consumer goods giant Unilever is threatening to pull its advertising from online platforms such as Facebook and Google if they promote hate, create division in society, or do not act to protect children.
The Guardian reports that, in a speech to be made later today, the group's chief marketing officer Keith Weed will say that Unilever "needs its consumers to have trust in our brands."
Speaking to advertising and technology companies at the Interactive Advertising Bureau conference, Weed will stress that the company plans to prioritise "investing only in responsible platforms that are committed to creating a positive impact in society."
“As one of the largest advertisers in the world, we cannot have an environment where our consumers don’t trust what they see online," Weed is expected to say.
“And we cannot continue to prop up a digital supply chain – one that delivers over a quarter of our advertising to our consumers – which at times is little better than a swamp in terms of its transparency.”
Marketing Moves
Unilever, which owns brands such as Dove soap, Hellman's mayonnaise and Ben & Jerry's ice-cream, is the second largest marketing spender in the world, after P&G.
Last year, the group announced that it was cutting down on advertising as part of a cost-cutting drive, but still spent €7.7 billion on marketing in 2017.
Tech companies, meanwhile, are increasingly under pressure to monitor content on digital platforms and social media.
In November, global brands such as Diageo, Cadbury and Lidl pulled advertising from YouTube, following reports that ads were being shown alongside inappropriate content of children.
© 2018 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Sarah Harford. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine.
