<story><title>Facebook hate-speech boycott had little effect on revenue</title><url>https://www.axios.com/facebook-hate-speech-boycott-had-little-effect-on-revenue-15984194-124e-41e0-821b-cc3a1b29e28d.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>adtechanon</author><text>Throwaway account from an established HN person. I work with many of the top advertisers in the US. These are not simply PR positions that take advantage of lower marketing expenditures. Many of the top advertisers do not support Facebook’s current advertising and content policies. Would you as a savvy marketer turn off your top 1 or 2 channel instead of lower performing channels? Facebook is typically in the top for both branding and performance media. Wouldn’t the marketing teams save money and maintain healthy performance by shutting down other channels? Facebook has a closed marketplace that protects itself, and gives malevolent actors (certain advertisers) the power to manufacture misinformation at a global scale.&lt;p&gt;I have first-hand seen other channels soak up the FB funds during this time. It has been interesting to see the diversification into media that historically was not a major investment, because it under performed when compared to FB.</text></item><item><author>unreal37</author><text>I really question what the real purpose of this &amp;quot;boycott&amp;quot; was during a pandemic.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;ve worked in advertising for 12+ years. I can easily imagine a company (say, Pepsi), deciding to pause a campaign they were planning to do because they figure the public are not in the mood to see advertising like that. And having nothing in the pipeline to replace it.&lt;p&gt;So a &amp;quot;boycott&amp;quot; to the public is really just &amp;quot;we don&amp;#x27;t have much to say right now&amp;quot; in private.&lt;p&gt;Also, &amp;quot;we need to save a few dollars because our quarterly profits have gone down.&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t think it was ever any &amp;quot;moral&amp;quot; boycott. It was just an excuse to cut ad spending for a few weeks and avoid being tone deaf during a BLM protest movement.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>wolco</author><text>Is it the ad execs at company 1 &amp;amp; 2 calling the shots or is this a board level decision?</text></comment>
<story><title>Facebook hate-speech boycott had little effect on revenue</title><url>https://www.axios.com/facebook-hate-speech-boycott-had-little-effect-on-revenue-15984194-124e-41e0-821b-cc3a1b29e28d.html</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>adtechanon</author><text>Throwaway account from an established HN person. I work with many of the top advertisers in the US. These are not simply PR positions that take advantage of lower marketing expenditures. Many of the top advertisers do not support Facebook’s current advertising and content policies. Would you as a savvy marketer turn off your top 1 or 2 channel instead of lower performing channels? Facebook is typically in the top for both branding and performance media. Wouldn’t the marketing teams save money and maintain healthy performance by shutting down other channels? Facebook has a closed marketplace that protects itself, and gives malevolent actors (certain advertisers) the power to manufacture misinformation at a global scale.&lt;p&gt;I have first-hand seen other channels soak up the FB funds during this time. It has been interesting to see the diversification into media that historically was not a major investment, because it under performed when compared to FB.</text></item><item><author>unreal37</author><text>I really question what the real purpose of this &amp;quot;boycott&amp;quot; was during a pandemic.&lt;p&gt;I&amp;#x27;ve worked in advertising for 12+ years. I can easily imagine a company (say, Pepsi), deciding to pause a campaign they were planning to do because they figure the public are not in the mood to see advertising like that. And having nothing in the pipeline to replace it.&lt;p&gt;So a &amp;quot;boycott&amp;quot; to the public is really just &amp;quot;we don&amp;#x27;t have much to say right now&amp;quot; in private.&lt;p&gt;Also, &amp;quot;we need to save a few dollars because our quarterly profits have gone down.&amp;quot;&lt;p&gt;I don&amp;#x27;t think it was ever any &amp;quot;moral&amp;quot; boycott. It was just an excuse to cut ad spending for a few weeks and avoid being tone deaf during a BLM protest movement.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>ballenf</author><text>I believe your account, but I still wonder whether the opposition to FB is more about it having the power to upset the status quo and how that is a threat to these mega brands.</text></comment>