FAQ: M&S stop funding hate campaign
Some questions and anwers about our campaign M&S stop funding hate.
2. Why not target the Daily Mail directly?
3. How much does M&S spend on advertising in the Daily Mail?
4. Aren’t you just suppressing freedom of speech?
5. How is this associated with Stop Funding Hate?
6. Do you have advice for how to best use the stop funding hate slips?
7. Why and how should I share my action on social media?
9. How can I get more involved?
1. Why are you targeting M&S?
M&S is a company that prides itself on having ethical principles underlying its business, yet it runs regular promotions and advertisements with the Daily Mail which is a paper that is renowned for promoting hateful messages about migrants and refugees. We think that associating itself with a paper that promotes xenophobic messages, undermines the company’s social responsibility strategy called ‘Plan A’. You can ready about M&S’s ethical and environmental policy on its website. We would like to see all major high-street brands stop funding the Daily Mail, and given M&S’s commitment to being an ethical company we feel that it is well placed to set an example in which others can follow.
2.Why not target Daily Mail directly?
We have targeted Daily Mail directly, in 2016 along with thousands of supporters we called on Paul Dacre, the editor of the paper, to put an end to its dehumanising reporting of migrants and refugees.
Targeting the companies who essentially fund the paper through advertising deals, however, can be an even more effective way of getting the paper to pay attention, as lost revenues will hit the paper where it hurts.
3. How much does M&S spend on advertising in the Daily Mail?
It is not common practice for companies to make their advertising contracts public and therefore we do not know the value of the advertising contract. But we do know that regular readers of the Daily Mail are entitled to discount vouchers at M&S via the MyMail loyalty scheme.
4. Aren’t you just suppressing freedom of speech?
No. We think there is a strong distinction between legitimising hate speech and exercising the right to freedom of expression. We strongly believe in the right to freedom of speech. But as long as there are people (and newspapers) promoting hate speech, xenophobia and racism, then we will remain committed to opposing it.
5. How is this associated with Stop Funding Hate?
The campaign group Stop Funding Hate has made impressive headway in calling on well-known brands to stop funding newspapers that promote hate. Keeping in the spirit of the work started by Stop Funding Hate, Global Justice Now has decided to run a campaign focusing specifically on M&S and its advertising in the Daily Mail. We know that Stop Funding Hate are happy for as many campaigners as possible to get involved in any way they can to support the important work that they got off the ground. This is our part in what we hope will become a campaign to make it unacceptable for companies to fund hateful media.
6. Do you have advice for how to best use the stop funding hate slips?
There’s no right or wrong way to use your campaign pack. The idea is to spread the slips far and wide across M&S stores across the country in order to send a clear message that funding the Daily Mail’s hateful agenda is unacceptable. The slips have been designed so that they cause no damage to M&S products. We encourage people to do this with a positive spirit and ask everyone to be polite to any M&S staff. The slips are designed so they can be tucked into M&S products without damaging them. For some ideas check out our blog reporting on how some Global Justice Now activists used the resources in a local M&S store. You can also follow the @globaljusticeUK account on twitter to see pictures from other supporters who’ve taken part.
7. Why and how should I share my action on social media?
Sharing our actions through social media is really important, because it shows M&S, and the Daily Mail, that we are really ramping up the pressure from all sides, all over the country. They value what their customers think about their brand, so they won’t want their customers in stores all over the country seeing our inserts and questioning their brand values. Sharing our actions online using the popular hashtag #StopFundingHate also means we can reach more people. And it’s also a good idea to tag @marksandspencer and @DailyMailUK so they see it too!
Pictures work really well on social media, so if you can, take a quick snap either before you go to your local M&S, outside, or while you’re in the store. You might want to take a picture of all your materials together, or you might be able to take one once you’ve placed the inserts in an M&S product. However you want to do it, it will help show M&S that we’re serious about exposing their funding of hate-filled media.
8. How can I get more involved?
If you want to get involved with Global Justice Now, we have local groups across the UK and a vibrant youth network that runs its own events and actions. You can find out more on our activism page.
More questions?
