The short version

Keith Weed predicted on February 12, 2018: “As one of the largest advertisers in the world, we cannot have an environment where our consumers don't trust what they see online.” Verdict: Partially right. Partially right. Weed threatened to withdraw Unilever advertising from platforms that "create division in society and promote anger and hate" and called parts of the digital supply…

Prediction by

Keith Weed

On February 12, 2018

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

Follow-up

Partially right. Weed threatened to withdraw Unilever advertising from platforms that "create division in society and promote anger and hate" and called parts of the digital supply chain "little better than a swamp". Unilever kept spending on Google and Facebook through 2018-19; the threat only became action in mid-2020, when Unilever paused US ads on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the rest of that year - then returned in January 2021. Brand safety did become a board-level issue and platforms tightened policies, but the sweeping pull-back never happened at scale.

From the High Caliber AI network — see the AI for PR module in the course.