Coca-Cola Firm pauses all social-media exercise in July
Coca-Cola's campaign is broader on all social media platforms than the boycott of #StopHateForProfit, to which Coca-Cola has not joined, and is intentionally unlimited for the time being
The Coca-Cola Company James Quincey, Chairman and CEO, announced Friday that paid and organic posts on all social media platforms worldwide will be paused for at least 30 days with effect from July 1.
"There is no place for racism in the world and there is no place for racism on social media," Quincey said in a statement. “We will take the time to review our advertising policies and determine if any revisions are needed. We also expect our social media partners to be more accountable and transparent. "
Coca-Cola joins a growing list of big brands that pull social media advertising for worrying about hate speech and misinformation, and forcing social networks to take stricter measures to free their platforms from hatred, violence, and inappropriate content . The company's campaign is broader on all social media platforms than the boycott of #StopHateForProfit, which Coca-Cola has not joined, and is intentionally unlimited for the time being.
"It is too early to determine how long our break will last," said Quincey. “It will take us at least 30 days to check where we are today and where we need to take additional measures. This allows us to rethink our own policies and procedures and involve our social media partners to provide our consumers with a safer and hate-free environment in which to experience our brands. "
A cross-functional and cross-continental team reviews Coca-Cola Company's principles for responsible digital media, agency partner industry principles, and other terms and conditions for partner agreements to determine what changes may be required. Communication and compliance with the principles for all social media partners. This includes clear expectations and schedules for action, monitoring and third party audits.
"If we find that our principles are not being followed, we will act," said Quincey.
The Coca-Cola Company will continue to provide feedback and leadership in key industry organizations, including the World Federation of Advertisers and the Association of National Advertising, to advance governance and accountability across digital platforms.
"This is a journey and we believe we can use our collective voices to drive faster changes with greater transparency," said Quincey.
