4 questions to ask yourself about the Facebook advertising boycott

July 15, 2020

You’ve likely heard that many organizations have decided to boycott Facebook’s advertising platform for the month of July.

If you’re a marketer or business owner, you likely already made decisions about how to approach the boycott. If you haven’t decided and are looking for a little guidance, we think there are a few ways to look at the situation and how to proceed.

Below are some answers to questions that organizations are currently facing:

1. “I can live without Facebook advertising, but also believe in the rationale of the boycott. Should I just drop my original ad budget or allocate spend elsewhere?”
   • We suggest reallocating your spend to other channels to reach your target audience, instead of just dropping it.

2. “If I’m reallocating my spend, where should it go?”
   • We have seen organizations reinvesting ad dollars in direct buys to sites and publishers that don’t rely on user-generated content.
   • Now is the time to consider trying a new tactic you’ve been interested in but have yet to find the incentive to made the jump. Consider approaches like OTT (similar to traditional TV, but delivered and measured differently) and digital radio.
   • Is there another tactic you’ve been doing that’s performing well? If so, increase budget there to see if it makes a larger overall impact.
   • Some organizations are using the money to conduct internal research to improve their organization’s operations within their communities.
   • There are also organizations setting aside grants to fund community projects.

3. “If I agree with the boycott rationale but cannot live without Facebook advertising, what should I do?”
   • You’re not alone and you’re actually part of a HUGE group. There are over eight million advertisers using Facebook, and small/medium sized businesses are their biggest revenue generators.
     • Small to medium size businesses and niche companies rely on the mix of audience reach, targeting, price efficiency, and performance metrics that Facebook alone can deliver.
   • When you remove the top 100 ad spenders on Facebook, it barely makes a dent in their revenue.
     What this means for you is participating in the boycott has more to do with your personal worldview and business’s health than what the Top 100 are doing.

4. “I’m a non-profit and my Facebook advertising exists to reach people and provide opportunities for services that may help them get ahead. Facebook has done a great job reaching these audiences, so should I stop?”
   • This is definitely a grey area that makes this situation difficult. If you turn off advertising on Facebook, you may not be able to reach these audiences; however, if you don’t turn off, what does that mean? We recommend doing what makes the most sense for your organization.

This is a one-size-fits-none situation for marketers and business owners, and we can expect that the situation will evolve over time.

We’re here if you’d like to talk through any ideas how do navigate this complex issue.