Tuesday, February 13, 2018

One of the world's top advertisers is threatening to take their ads offline if digital platforms do not do something about the fake news and extremism on their sites.

Courtesy of CNN: 

Unilever is threatening to pull its advertising from digital platforms that it says have become a "swamp" of fake news, racism, sexism and extremism. 

The forceful warning to digital platforms such as Google (GOOGL) and Facebook (FB) will be delivered at an advertising conference in California later on Monday. 

"We cannot continue to prop up a digital supply chain ... which at times is little better than a swamp in terms of its transparency," Unilever marketing boss Keith Weed will say, according to a copy of his speech obtained by CNN. 

Unilever (UL), which owns brands including Dove, Lipton, and Ben & Jerry's, is one of the world's top advertisers. It has an annual marketing budget of roughly €8 billion ($9.8 billion), and 25% of its ads are digital. 

Weed will say that a proliferation of objectionable content on social media -- and a lack of protections for children -- is eroding social trust, harming users and undermining democracies.

This is the kind of thing that can actually have an impact.

As large and powerful as Google and Facebook are, their power is greatly reduced once you remove their revenue streams.

If enough advertisers follow Unilever's lead it could almost change things overnight. 

23 comments:

  1. Anonymous4:52 AM

    "We the people" are the only revenue of the wealthy. We made them. Cutting off the supply is the only way to correct the wrong. This goes for all areas. Food, electric, water, facebook, clothing etc. Everything. Watch who you give your money too.
    How do we do it? We don't buy it. We don't fall for empty lousy products, commercialized holidays, We ask questions and demand answers. We stop the waste. We stop the greed.
    Citizen United was the worst decision by OUR SUPREME COURT JUDGES and the worst crime against America and Americans. Hint? Donald John Trump. He was elected by them "The Enemy" When things are confused, out of touch, cut off the currency. Watch every penny you have and spend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:28 PM

      like i have a choice. i tend to use cheaper products because it's all i can afford. i do look to see where they come from. they are some things i just won't buy.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous4:59 AM

    Teach you children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of our grandfathers. So they will respect the land! The soil is rich with our ancestors. The earth is our mother. Our home is our father. Simplify your life and it will make sense.
    Good book to read. 7 steps to personal freedom, by Gerry Spence. Good movie to see, Hostiles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous8:22 AM

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yq6rusc_EjM

      Crosby Stills Nash & Young - Teach Your Children
      "It is a song about generational empathy."


      "Déjà vu; que maravilloso álbum; siempre me gustó mucho este tema. Tiene unas armonías vocales bellísimas ,y una letra inquietante
      ( me parece a mi ).
      Enhorabuena por este fantástico vídeo, y
      muchas gracias por compartirlo.
      Un saludo desde Madrid."

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:24 PM

      i try. i have given money to good animal charities. i try to recycle everything. i keep my cats from catching songbirds. they can have all the dead mice they want. we have a very rare butterfly in the area-it is found only in certain grassy spots here. i look for it every summer. so far, so good. no i don't catch them. i don't know what else i can do.

      Delete
  3. Off track but speaking of fake news and social media:

    https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-olympics-tweets_us_5a82813be4b01467fcf0c628?ncid=inblnkushpmg00000009

    "As of early Tuesday, Feb. 13, Team USA has won three gold, one silver and two bronze medals at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics. And it has received zero tweets from President Donald Trump in support of those victories."

    "Since the Games began last week, he’s complained about the “fake news media,” claimed (incorrectly) that he was “vindicated” in the Russia investigation, railed against Democrats and stuck up for alleged abusers. He also plugged his tax cuts, promoted Republican candidates and teased an upcoming appearance at a conservative conference. "

    The last time Donald Trump tweeted about the Olympics was in 2014. Of course it was an attack on Obama about a U.S. loss to the Russians.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:07 PM

      I was wondering if he had tweeted anything about our athletes.

      Of course he will have a lot to say when they tell what he can do with his invite to the WH.

      Delete
  4. Anonymous7:22 AM

    https://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_5a826959e4b0892a035243ec

    Bang!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous7:24 AM

    Does Unilever advertise on Fox? (I don't watch TV, so I don't know.) If they do, they need to use the same standards with Fox that they are using with digital platforms.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous7:41 AM

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-silicon-valley-giant-bankrolling-devin-nunes?ref=home

    "Ezra Cohen-Watnick, who worked as a top White House intelligence aide linked to former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, joined Oracle just weeks before its executives began writing checks to Nunes. Cohen-Watnick had arrived at the company under a cloud of controversy. During his time in the administration, he had been identified as having provided Nunes with reports that showed former National Security Adviser Susan Rice had requested the unmasking of several Trump aides listed in classified documents. That disclosure resulted in an ethics investigation into Nunes, who was eventually cleared of any wrongdoing."

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous7:50 AM

    Ahhh. The mindless consumers. Wonder where we put all our garbage?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:18 PM

      i recycle every thing i can. and i choose better wrapping. for example, i use cat litter that comes in a cardboard box, not a plastic pail. the cat food comes in cans that are the same same as pop cans. my landlord does the poo can thing, so it all goes to the recycling.

      Delete
  8. Anonymous8:05 AM

    "under questioning from Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) on Tuesday, Pompeo said the media outlets had fallen for a story that was not true.

    “Reporting on this matter has been atrocious, it’s been ridiculous, totally inaccurate,”"

    https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/cia-director-says-trumps-raving-conspiracy-theory-tweet-based-atrocious-ridiculous-information/

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous9:16 AM

    From Unilever's mouth to God/dess's ears!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous2:58 PM

      +++++++

      Delete
    2. Anonymous5:13 PM

      agreed. Gaia loves her children.

      Delete
  10. Anonymous9:43 AM

    https://www.vox.com/conversations/2016/11/17/13477142/facebook-twitter-social-media-attention-merchants

    "'There’s a WAR for your attention.
    And you’re probably losing it.
    “You’re always being pulled away, and it’s getting worse every day.” —Tim Wu, author of
    "Attention Merchants'"

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous11:01 AM

    OT:
    https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/sean-hannity-comes-completely-unglued-alleged-secret-sperm-hidden-obamas-portrait/

    "“PORTRAIT PERVERSION:
    Obama Portrait Features ‘SECRET SPERM.'”
    "The article itself details Obama portrait artist Kehinde Wiley’s past use of what the New York Times has described as “rich textile or wallpaper backgrounds whose patterns he has likened to abstractions of sperm.”" the purported sperm in the Obama painting was part of a “shocking” and “widening scandal” about the portrait."

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous5:12 PM

      SO WHAT?!? hannity doesn't get sperm?? what does he want? (forgive me) little pictures of jijaboos and pickaninnies??

      Delete
  12. Leland11:40 AM

    There's some pretty crappy ads on here, too!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Anonymous2:58 PM

    Wow, that is great news.

    I've been feeling kind of hopeless about all this, but this gives me hope.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous5:07 PM

    i use a lot of unilevers products. i will use more now. so glad to see this huge company protesting. maybe more will follow.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12:54 AM

    Trump claimed to be a registered democrat at one time. Then a registered Republican. He is neither. He is a con. a liar and thief. He is a un-American pos.

    ReplyDelete

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