In recent years the pressure has grown on Facebook, Google (which owns YouTube) and other major social media platforms to do a better job of policing their content, and now Unilever has upped the ante with the threat of an advertising boycott.

Last week, The Guardianand multiple other outlets reported that the company’s chief marketing officer Keith Weed told attendees at a conference lead by the Interactive Advertising Bureau that Unilever “…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.”

Weed warned that a consumer backlash is building, and he all but predicted that Facebook and other social media would bring about their own demise by failing to police their content.

Unilever has pledged to:

  • Not invest in platforms that do not protect children or create division in society
  • Only invest in platforms that make a positive contribution to society
  • Tackle gender stereotypes in advertising
  • Only partner with companies creating a responsible digital infrastructure

Read the full article on Unilever threatening to boycott social media by Tiny Casey at TriplePundit