Mars reviews social media presence amid global anti-racism campaigns
US-based Mars, Incorporated, has responded to the global Black Lives Matter anti-racism campaign in ordering an immediate review of its social media presence within international markets.
The company, which includes its confectionery division, acknowledged that while such online platforms play a significant role in society, they were also influential in stopping the spread of hate speech and misinformation. The issue was sparked by the global movement against racial discrimination that is continuing in the wake of George Floyd’s death while being arrested by Police in Minneapolis in May.
Consequently, Mars has said that it has ceased its social media advertising throughout July in order to review how its platforms and partners are operating.
In a statement on the issue, the business said: “There is no room for discrimination in a healthy society. Mars has a responsibility and an opportunity to make a meaningful and measurable difference in the fight against racism, hate, violence and discrimination – we expect all of the social media platform partners we work with to do the same.
“We are committed to doing our part to accelerate the pace of progress in creating a safe and fair experience for everyone. We will pause paid advertising globally across news feed based social media platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Snapchat. We will work with our partners until we are clear of progress and timebound actions taken by these platforms. This includes:
-Auditing transparency and reporting on the effectiveness of brand safety measures these platforms already have in place.
-Giving consumers a safer experience by monitoring content and enforcing community standards that address hate speech and misinformation.
-Controlling the placement of advertising content next to sensitive and/or inappropriate content.
-Improving reporting and data to enable marketers like Mars to better control where our advertising is placed online.
-Showing meaningful progress against the key demands of the #StopHateforProfit campaign.
The company added that it would work with social media platforms to agree on clear, meaningful actions that create a roadmap for change, through our partnership with the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM). It concluded that it was confident that working with its agencies, industry and social media partners, the business could make meaningful change.
