The two companies will not advertise their products on Facebook in opposition to the spread of racist, violent or disinformation content.
On 17 June, Color of Change, a US civil rights NGO, together with other organisations including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (Naacp) and Sleeping Giants, launched the Stop Hate for Profit campaign. The aim of the initiative is to ask Facebook advertisers to temporarily suspend advertising their products on the popular social network, in order to convince Facebook to finally tackle racism.
"We are sending Facebook a powerful message," reads the Color of Change website, "your profits will never be worth promoting hatred, bigotry, racism, antisemitism and violence." North Face and Patagonia, arguably the two best-known outdoor clothing brands, have also announced that they have joined the campaign.
The North Face stated that it has suspended its advertising "until stricter policies are put in place to prevent racist and violent content and disinformation from circulating on the platform." A spokesperson for VF Corporation, the American clothing company that owns The North Face, also told CNN that the company is considering joining the boycott with other brands.
Patagonia, meanwhile, stated that it will take part in the boycott, which also includes Instagram, "at least until the end of July, pending meaningful action from the social media giant," said Cory Bayers, the California-based company's head of marketing.
The social network founded by Mark Zuckerberg is at the centre of criticism over the way it manages hate-inciting content and disinformation. Recently, in particular, it came under fire for choosing not to remove a controversial post by US President Donald Trump published after the killing of George Floyd — a decision that had also sparked an internal revolt within the company, with hundreds of employees attacking the chief executive's choice.
Almost all of Facebook's revenue is tied to advertising, which generates annual earnings of around 70 billion dollars. If only to avoid putting its own profits at risk, the Menlo Park-based company promptly pledged to "promote racial equity and justice", promising to review its policies. Indeed, on 19 June, Facebook itself, for the first time, removed a post by Trump deemed potentially capable of inciting hatred.
