Unilever Threatens to Cut Ads from Platforms

Unilever, one of the world's biggest advertisers, has threatened to cut investment from digital platforms such as Facebook and Google that "create division" in society or fail to protect children.

Keith Weed, Unilever’s chief marketing officer, was set to put the technology giants on notice in a speech on Monday to major advertisers, media groups and technology companies at the annual Interactive Advertising Bureau conference.

“As one of the largest advertisers in the world, we cannot have an environment where our consumers don’t trust what they see online,” he plans to say.

“We cannot continue to prop up a digital supply chain — one that delivers over a quarter of our advertising to our consumers — which at times is little better than a swamp in terms of its transparency.”

Unilever also said it is committed to dealing with gender stereotypes in advertising and will only partner with organizations that are committed to creating better digital infrastructure.

Unilever itself was heavily criticized last year for a Dove advert on Facebook that many saw as racist. Amid a social media backlash and calls for a boycott, the brand apologized, saying it "missed the mark in representing women of color thoughtfully".

"Consumers don't care about third party verification. They do care about fraudulent practice, fake news, and Russians influencing the U.S. election," Weed plans to say. "They don't care about good value for advertisers. But they do care when they see their brands being placed next to ads funding terror, or exploiting children."

Unilever has already been overhauling its advertising spend, as it seeks to cut costs across the organization. It has cut the number of ads it makes and the number of agencies it works with.

The maker of Dove soap and Hellman’s mayonnaise spent €7.7 billion on marketing last year. It has been overhauling its advertising budget as part of a cost-cutting campaign following Kraft Heinz’s failed takeover bid a year ago. The company has slashed the number of commercials it produces and trimmed the costs of making them, and has halved its roster of 3,000 creative agencies.

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