MARIA: WELCOME BACK, BOYCOTTING
FACEBOOK, VERIZON NOW BECOMING
THE LARGEST ADVERTISER AND --
AND LATEST TO DITCH THE SOCIAL
MEDIA GIANT AND AGENCIES
REPRESENTING HIGH-PROFILE
BRANDS, PEPSI, BMW, NORTH FACE
PULLING ADS FROM THE SOCIAL
NETWORK OVER LACK OF PROGRESS ON
POLICING HATE SPEECH.
GROUPS INCLUDE THE
ANTIDEFAMATION LEAGUE AND THE
NCAAP FIRST CALL FOR BOYCOTT
LAST WEEK.
SPECIAL REPORT ON CONSUMER TRUST
AND BRANDS AND WHAT THEY WANT
WHEN IT COMES TO RACIAL
INJUSTICE.
JOINING ME RIGHT NOW RICHARD
EVELYN, RICHARD, GREAT TO HAVE
YOU THIS MORNING.
LET’S GET RIGHT INTO THE REPORT.
WHAT DO YOU MAKE OF THE GROWING
MOVEMENT AWAY FROM FACEBOOK?
>> BRANDS WANT TO BE PRACTICAL
AND NOT POLITICAL AND THEY DON’T
WANT TO BE NEXT TO HATE SPEECH
AND THEY WANT TO BE SAFE AND
THEY WANT TO SELL THEIR PRODUCTS
BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT TODAY,
MARIA, THEY ACTUALLY HAVE TO
SPEAK UP IN A WAY ABOUT ISSUES,
COVID, SYSTEMATIC RACISM AND BE
RELEVANT, SO THEY HAVE A VERY
FINE LINE TO FOLLOW AND IN SOME
CASES THEY ARE CHOOSING TO OPT
OUT OF FACEBOOK FOR NOW.
MARIA: SO HOW ARE THEY -- TELL
US ABOUT THEIR BRANDS AND
BUILDING TRUST?
TERMS OF CHANGES THAT THEY MAY
HAVE MADE RIGHT NOW?
>> SO THE AMAZING STATISTIC IS
THAT NOW THE SECOND REASON THAT
YOU BUY A BRAND IS THAT YOU
TRUST IT RIGHT AFTER PRICE.
IT’S AHEAD OF INGREDIENTS OF HOW
THE BRAND IS AVAILABLE IN
STORES.
YOU KNOW, YOU REALLY WANT TO
ADDRESS THE TWO BIG SHIFTS IN
THE SOCIETY WHICH IS COVID-19
AND THE PROTESTS AND BRANDS
ACTUALLY NEED TO BE AWARE THAT
60% OF PEOPLE BUY OR BOYCOTT
BRANDS BASED ON WHETHER BRANDS
SPEAK UP ON THEIR BEHIND AND
THAT’S A BIG CHANGE.
BRANDS USED TO AVOID ISSUES AND
NOW HAVE TO BE PART OF THE
CONVERSATION, HOW AM I HELPING
CONSUMERS AVOID GETTING COVID.
IF I’M KFC, HOW DO I SET MY
STORES UP AND MAKE SURE THAT THE
WORKERS BEHIND THE COUNTER HAVE
PPE.
THIS IS A NEW PHASE FOR BRANDS.
MARIA: YEAH, THAT’S WHAT PEOPLE
WANT TO SEE.
ALLI.
ALLI: I THINK IT’S FASCINATING
IF YOU THINK BACK A YEAR WE HAD
THE BUSINESS ROUND TABLE LED BY
JAMIE DIMON COME OUT AND SAY
THAT THEY WERE GOING ADD
EMPLOYEES ALONG WITH
SHAREHOLDERS AND IF YOU THINK OF
THE IMPLICATIONS OF WHAT’S
HAPPENED IN THE LAST YEAR IN
TERMS OF THE ONUS AND
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE ACCOMPANY
IS FASCINATING AND IF YOU TALK
ABOUT FACEBOOK SPECIFICALLY, I
MEAN, WE ARE IN THIS WORLD WHERE
WE IN THE LAST YEAR HAVE BEEN
TERRIBLY CONCERNED WHAT THE
HEADWINDS ARE FROM REGULATION OR
ANTITRUST, ET CETERA, AND NOW WE
ADD THIS, YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE
NEW DIMENSION WHERE YOU HAVE TO
HAVE A POINT OF VIEW AND WHERE
YOU’RE GOING TO HAVE HEADWINDS
FROM ADVERTISERS.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT DOES TO
THE COMMUNICATION SERVICE
INDUSTRY?
>> WELL, ALL OF A SUDDEN A KEY
AUDIENCE FOR US IS THE BRAND’S
EMPLOYEES BECAUSE BEFORE THAT
WAS A CORPORATE RESPONSIBILITY,
BUT NOW IT’S ON THE BRANDS AND
PEOPLE LITERAL I WILL SAY IF YOU
DON’T PROTECT THE EMPLOYEES, IF
YOU DON’T MAKE SURE THEY ARE
SAFE AT THE WORKPLACE, WE WILL
NOT BUY YOUR BRANDS.
BRANDS ARE THE NEW CORPORATIONS
AND IT’S THE WAY IN WHICH PEOPLE
CAN EXERCISE DRIVEN BUYING AND
BRAND DEMOCRACY AND SO OUR
CAMPAIGNS ARE ACTUALLY INSIDE
OUT NOW.
MARIA: INTERESTING.
REALLY GREAT, RICHARD GREAT TO