San Francisco, (Asian independent) As more and more top brands pull out of its platform over the spread of hate speech and misinformation, Facebook on Tuesday was set to meet advertisers in a virtual mass meeting to listen to their concerns and address those.
The advertiser meeting was likely to be addressed by top Facebook executives like Guy Rosen, Facebook’s vice president of integrity, Carolyn Everson, Facebook’s vice president of global marketing solutions and Neil Potts, Facebook’s director of public policy, among others.
“We look forward to answering your questions and sharing more about the steps we’re taking to keep our platform safe,” read an invite to the advertisers who spend top dollars on the platform.
The social network has nearly 8 million advertisers on its platform and makes about 98 per cent of its $70 billion annual revenue from advertising.
Facebook saw its market cap eroded by at least $55 billion as more big brands boycotted its platform on Tuesday against the unchecked spread of hateful and disinformation on its platforms.
American food company Chobani, drug maker Pfizer and software major SAP were among the latest brands pulling who joined adidas, cleaning supply firm Clorox, Conagra (the maker of Slim Jim, Duncan Hines and Pam), fast food chain Denny’s, Ford and Starbucks to pull their ads from the platform.
To date, more than 240 companies have joined the Facebook ad boycott campaign began by civil rights groups, including the NAACP and the Anti-Defamation League on June 17, pressuring large companies to halt advertising on the social network.
The social network is facing criticism for its inaction over Trump posts that glorified violence in the aftermath of the death of African-American George Floyd.
Facebook has already admitted there is a “trust deficit” with advertisers and the company is working to close the trust gap.
Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have also supported the ad boycott, according to media reports.