Firms withdraw advertisements from Facebook due to BNP exposure

[Thunzi 10]

First off apologies for starting a new thread on this, I did a search for BNP, in attempt to post in a megathread, but no results came up. Not sure if the BNP is a now a banned topic of discussion, but this isn’t about the BNP directly, their policies or supporters, so I would ask that it is at least given a chance before it’s locked.

 

I’ve just seen on the bbc website that First Direct, Vodafone, Virgin Media, the AA, Halifax and the Prudential have all withdrawn their advertisements from the social networking site http://www.facebook.com. Facebook has a groups section, somewhat similar to the ones right here on SF. There you can join thousands of groups and discuss topics with like minded people, or argue against them if you so wish. There are a few BNP groups that can be joined, the above companies have removed their support as their adverts were placed in a pane next to a BNP group, who they don’t wish to be associated with.

 

Please bear in mind that these adverts appear in the same place on every page, totally at random if you are in a group or not. It’s just as likely that the ad will appear in a Labour, Conservative or Lib Dem group.

 

Vodafone are quoted as saying “"Our public policy principles state that we do not make political donations or support particular party political interests and therefore to avoid misunderstandings we immediately withdrew our advertising as soon as this was brought to our attention."

 

So why name the BNP at all? I think I’ve made myself fairly clear before that I don’t agree with the BNP viewpoint, and would never offer my political allegiance to them, but this seems to me to be a gross over reaction on the part of the above companies. Any thoughts?

[JoeP 11]

Hmmmm.....I think the Search routine is broken.

 

I'll ask Geoff to lift the hood and take a look at that! There definitely should be something appearing.

 

The BNP does engender strong feelings - we've had a few attempts on here from people to actually ban the BNP from being discussed and we've always said 'They can be discussed, but we won't allow political propaganda or campaigning from them'.

 

I think that some of these companies are a little holier than thou. It's liklely that all of those companies have paying customers who are members of or supporters of the BNP. On the Internet, your advertising tends to get served up in such a way that you can't always say who your ads will be next to - we've had the odd unsuitable banner advert, for example.

 

It'll be an interesting issue for Facebook - do they go with 'freedom of speech' or remove the BNP to placate the other advertisers?

[angle20 10]

It'll be an interesting issue for Facebook - do they go with 'freedom of speech' or remove the BNP to placate the other advertisers?

 

Hopefully the former, and that Facebook will resist this type of blackmail. A lot of large commercial companies are very image conscious (look, for example, at the depiction of people in their own advertising literature). However, we should remember that loyalty to the British nation and its culture [or indeed to any nation: in the context that many of these firms are transnational] is not a part of their corporate ethic.

[JoeP 11]

Hopefully the former, and that Facebook will resist this type of blackmail. A lot of large commercial companies are very image conscious (look, for example, at the depiction of people in their own advertising literature). However, we should remember that loyalty to the British nation and its culture [or indeed to any nation: in the context that many of these firms are transnational] is not a part of their corporate ethic.

 

The Transnational brands are now becoming movers and shakers and power-brokers at a world level. Look at the influence of companies like Shell in places like Nigeria.

 

It annoys me to mention her again, but Naomi Klein's 'No Logo' book had a good take on this sort of thing. I found parts of that book incredibly annoying, but other parts quite prescient - although the reaction to brands that I think she anticipated hasn't happened.

 

From another perspective - are these bramnds so weak that they feel they WILL be damaged by being advertised next to the BNP on occasion? If so, perhaps there's something they should be telling their shareholders....

[carcrash 11]

Funny that these companies don't seem too bothered when the BNP use their logos illegally to give one of their dodgy finance companies an air of respectability.

http://www.avocadomortgages.co.uk/enquiry.php

[Nazo 10]

I can understand them not wanting to be associated with the BNP but I think this is an overreaction. I don't think anyone who uses Facebook would infer support of any organisation from ads appearing.

And with the way they've publicly announced it, all ii really achieves is bringing the BNP more column inches.

[craigmason 10]

facebook themselvesare in trouble already without this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6914843.stm

 

btw

Funny that these companies don't seem too bothered when the BNP use their logos illegally to give one of their dodgy finance companies an air of respectability.

http://www.avocadomortgages.co.uk/enquiry.php

well said carcrash

[StarSparkle 10]

Hopefully the former, and that Facebook will resist this type of blackmail. A lot of large commercial companies are very image conscious (look, for example, at the depiction of people in their own advertising literature). However, we should remember that loyalty to the British nation and its culture [or indeed to any nation: in the context that many of these firms are transnational] is not a part of their corporate ethic.

 

This is exactly what struck me when I read the OP. These companies have got a bit of a nerve the way they've shipped so many British jobs abroad... Talk about double standards

 

Multinationals are the biggest crooks of all

 

StarSparkle

[craigmason 10]

residents of denby in derbyshire are also complaning about the bnp

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/derbyshire/6929692.stm

[andrewchase 10]

Smells like a publicity stunt to me, I can't imagaine they really think that anyone would think that a sitewide facebook ad endorsed the entire content of the site from the BNP to people who think David Ike is the 2nd coming.

[carcrash 11]

facebook themselvesare in trouble already without this

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/6914843.stm

 

btw

 

well said carcrash

 

has somebody hacked craigs account?

 

there was a similar campaign earlier this year against myspace, the BNP added loads of different firms , sports teams and people as friends and when they were contacted they had to pull them.

[andco 10]

has somebody hacked craigs account?.

 

I did wonder that myself