P&G says will not disclose advertising decisions as Facebook ad boycott grows

By Siddharth Cavale

(Reuters) - Procter & Gamble said on Wednesday it will not make any announcements about its activities on advertising platforms, in response to a question about whether it will join the growing ad boycott against Facebook.

"Our approach has been to not to make public declarations of where we stand with individual partners," a P&G spokesman said. "We are not changing that approach, so you shouldn't expect to hear more from us on Facebook, or any other advertising platform."

P&G was the number one advertiser on Facebook in the United States in June, according to Pathmatics data, and the industry has been watching for the consumer goods company's response as the "Stop Hate for Profit" ad boycott campaign against Facebook gains momentum.

Last week, P&G Chief Brand Officer Marc Pritchard said the Tide detergent and Gillette shaving products maker had started a comprehensive review of all media channels, networks, platforms, and programs to ensure that its ads come nowhere near content that is hateful, denigrating or discriminatory.

"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 at a Cannes Lions live event on June 24.

"Where we determine our standards are not met, we will take action, up to and including stopping spending, just like we've done before," he said without mentioning Facebook or any other social media platforms.

U.S. civil rights groups have gained the support of more than 400 advertisers to pressure the social media giant into taking concrete steps to block hate speech following the death of African American George Floyd in police custody and amid a national reckoning over racism.

Some big advertisers to have joined the boycott include Unilever, Coca-Cola and Verizon.

(Reporting by Siddharth Cavale in Bengaluru and Sheila Dang in New York; Editing by Arun Koyyur)