Lego Extends Facebook Ad Ban While Spending Resumes With Rivals
Facebook will remain ‘blocked’ by Lego whilst deciding where to spend its advertising dollars.
(Bloomberg) -- Facebook Inc. will remain blacklisted by Lego A/S, after the maker of the world’s best known toy blocks conducted a review of social media platforms to determine where to send its advertising dollars.
The Danish company said it was resuming ads with other social media companies, according to an emailed comment to Bloomberg News. But Facebook still hasn’t done enough to persuade Lego lift its ban, it said.
The maker of the iconic colored building blocks suspended its advertising on social media in July, joining a protest by some of the world’s biggest corporations against the failure of many platforms to block hateful and misleading content. On Friday, Lego said it has since resumed ad payments to YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter, among others, following its review.
“We have decided not to advertise on Facebook, where we are less confident progress is being made,” a spokesman at Lego said in an emailed reply to questions.
Lego’s ban covers Facebook in the U.S. and Europe. The Danish company is now “in the process of revising marketing plans” and expects its ad ban on Facebook to extend to more regions “over the coming months.”
Facebook said earlier this week that many advertisers that had previously walked away over concerns it wasn’t doing enough to combat hate speech have since started returning.
“This is a very dynamic environment and we will continue to review our approach to advertising and engagement across global social media platforms,” Lego said in the email.
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