Facebook Boycott Intensifies; Wendy's Breaks Silence on Social Media: Monday's First Things First

Welcome to First Things First, Adweek’s daily resource for marketers. We’ll be publishing the content to First Things First on Adweek.com each morning (like this post), but if you prefer that it come straight to your inbox, you can sign up for the email here. Advertisers Continue to Flee Facebook Earlier this month, The North Face got the ball rolling, removing media dollars from Facebook because the platform's inaction toward removing hateful and misleading information. The “Stop Hate for Profit” campaign led by the Anti-Defamation League, the NAACP, Sleeping Giants and more has brought more advertisers into the boycott. Many of the brands have ceased spending on Facebook through July, but most notably, Unilever is eliminating spending on not just Facebook through the end of the year, but Twitter, too. The CPG giant said in a statement on Friday that “continuing to advertise on these platforms at this time would not add value to people and society." Here are some of the other major brands to join the boycott. Coca Cola (story here) American Honda Starbucks (which recently reversed course and allowed employees to wear clothing to support Black Lives Matter) Diageo Eddie Bauer Levi Strauss & Co. See the full list here. TikTok Users Abandon Carts En Masse on President Trump’s Online Store In the latest saga between TikTok users and President Trump (imagine telling someone in 2016 that this would be a thing in 2020), TikTok users are filling carts of merchandise on Trump's online store and then abandoning their carts. There's a surprising amount of lessons to unpack here if you're a retailer because the practice harms Trump in multiple ways. First, it could cause its digital marketing team to spend money retargeting folks with abandoned carts so they complete the purchase. The practice could also affect inventory levels, while also supplying the Trump campaign with a bevy of bad data. Experts explain: How TikTok users trolling Trump will impact his campaign store. After Weeks of Silence, Wendy’s Returns to Twitter It's widely known that Wendy's is one of the most outspoken brands on Twitter. The brand originally committed in early June to use its account to "amplify Black voices," but instead it went silent for nearly three weeks. Wendy's returned last week, announcing partnerships to support the Black community, but also with a very repetitive message: “We have never donated to a presidential candidate.” Wendy's political history: While the brand hasn't technically supported President Trump (or Democratic candidate Joe Biden), the reality is much, much murkier. Ex-Omelet Employee Alleges Wrongful Termination After Raising Covid-19 Concerns Former associate creative director Tiffani Harcrow is alleging that she was fired after expressing concern and objecting to a Princess Cruises campaign, specifically citing a “lack of safeguards against asymptomatic cases and the lack of Covid-19 testing before embarkation.” What the lawsuit alleges: Harcrow claims the agency threatened retaliation, which includes a claim that CEO Thas Naseemuddeen referenced an industry “blacklist” to Harcrow. Best of the Rest: Today's Top News and Insights InfoSum and Throtle Link Up to Create Decentralized Ad ID Solution Cannes Lions Crowns Procter & Gamble Brand Marketer of the Decade Nascar and Farming Are a Perfect Match in Nutrien Ag’s Docuseries Burger King Makes a Whopper of a Hire With First-Ever North America CMO AlmapBBDO Wins Cannes Lions Agency of the Decade Mark Penn’s Stagwell Group Proposes Merger With MDC Partners