Procter & Gamble Co. isn’t committing to join a Facebook boycott, but Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard isn’t ruling it out either.
In a wide-ranging talk at the Cannes Lions Live virtual event on Wednesday about P&G’s response to recent COVID-19, diversity and discrimination issues, Pritchard broadly threatened to stop spending on platforms that don’t meet company standards.
“Freedom of expression is a right, but civility is a responsibility, and we’re working with media providers and platforms to take appropriate systemic action,” Pritchard said. “Where we determine our standards are not met, we will take action, up to and including stopping spending, just like we’ve done before. There are hundreds of programs and thousands of digital channels and sites where we do not advertise because they don’t meet our standards.”
Facebook isn’t one of those yet. Dozens of P&G brands are advertising on its platforms. But civil rights organizations including the NAACP, which P&G announced it was supporting with a donation earlier this month, have called for advertisers to boycott Facebook next month over how it moderates hate speech.
Asked in an interview if P&G would join that boycott, Pritchard said: “We’re reviewing every media channel, network, platform and program on which we advertise, making sure the content and commentary respects all people, and we’re not advertising on or near content that we determine to be hateful, discriminatory or denigrating. We’re reviewing everything.”