A big global campaign is gaining momentum to force social networking giants to improve their playbook; big corporates have joined the movement in the USA.
New Delhi, 13 October 2020: Taking high moral ground, noted industrialist Rajiv Bajaj has again shown the path to other industrialists of the country how they can play a crucial role in ensuring peace in the society. Bajaj’s announcement created quite a buzz in the country when he said that his company will not advertise with three channels which are engaged in hate mongering. But do you know Rajiv Bajaj has picked the thread from a global campaign where the big corporate are already coming forward to boycott platforms which are spreading hate in society?
Before coming to global initiative, it would be worth mentioning that following Rajiv Bajaj’s path, another company Parle G has also announced that it is not going to advertise with these hate-mongering players in the coming future. Talking to the media, senior category head of Parle G biscuits Krishnarao Buddha said the company will not advertise on news channels that broadcast toxic content. He said, "We are exploring possibilities wherein other advertisers can come together and sort of put a restraint on their advertising spends on news channels, so that there is some sort of a clear signal to all the news channels, that they better change their content."
His statement came just after Rajiv Bajaj while speaking to CNBC TV18 said that Bajaj Auto does not endorse toxicity and hate-mongering in the society.
"A strong brand is a foundation on which you build a strong business. The purpose of a strong business is to contribute to the society… Our brand has never associated with anything we feel is a source of toxicity in society. Our teams can spot channels and newspapers that are toxic and hate mongering in the society and we can’t find it in ourselves to continue to be supportive of such a medium no matter what repercussions it may have on the business," he said.
Corporate’s global movement against hate mongering
Rajiv Bajaj’s statement created quite a buzz in Indian society about the role of corporate in ensuring peace in the society, but the debate is not new in the global scenario.
On June 27, Coca-Cola announced that it is going to pause all digital advertising on social media platforms globally for at least 30 days starting from July 1. The move was part of a broader boycott of Facebook and Instagram organised by the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, and other organisations called the "Stop Hate for Profit" campaign.
In a statement issued on June 27, Chairman and CEO of the Coca-Cola Company James Quincey had said, "There is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media. The Coca-Cola Company will pause paid advertising on all social media platforms globally for at least 30 days. We will take this time to reassess our advertising policies to determine whether revisions are needed. We also expect greater accountability and transparency from our social media partners."
Though, Coca-Cola went a step ahead by announcing that it is banning all its ads globally on social media platforms, not just Facebook and Instagram. Before this, several other corporate have targeted Facebook and Instagram in pursuit of restricting hate content on these platforms.
Prior to Coca-Cola, Unilever, another conglomerate had also announced such move of not sharing its advertisement revenue with social platforms owned by Mark Zuckerberg.
In the last week of June, telecom giant Verizon also withdrew from Facebook advertising, warning it to regulate hate content on its platform.
The Stop Hate for Profit campaign which started in June received supporters in the corporate world of the USA when sports and outdoor lifestyle brands like The North Face and Patagonia announced their commitment to the cause. Since then, the campaign gained steam with mainstream corporate players in America and other players like ice cream brand Ben & Jerry’s and film distributor Magnolia Pictures joined the call. Subsequent to them, Honda also announced that it was joining the campaign as well, and would halt advertising on Facebook and Instagram in July.
So Rajiv Bajaj may have pulled the plug in India but corporate are already coming forward for a much-needed campaign against hate-mongering on different platforms which has become unstoppable. One can hope that Bajaj’s initiative will receive support from the corporate, the way Stop Hate For Profit campaign received in the USA.
