Candypolis responds to the #FBRape campaign:

Two hours ago I had no idea who or what Candypolis was (am still not entirely sure), but if I ever come across their logo in the world, I will remember this moment. They’ve created a positive brand association by taking a stand against Facebook’s passive attitude towards “rape jokes” and images of violence against women.

Their letter in response to the #FBRape campaign is by far the most “liked” Facebook post the company has EVER had and has been re-tweeted countless times.

They are among the surprisingly few Facebook advertisers who have realized that as thousands of consumers worldwide are expressing outrage over the social network’s policy around monitoring gender-based hate speech, this is actually a fantastic opportunity for brands to distinguish themselves as supportive of women and girls – as conscientious businesses. Which, in turn, paints all their competitors who stay silent in a very negative light.

(For proof of that negative light, look here. *trigger warning*)

Yet if your company isn’t persuaded by the fact that you are tacitly condoning and overtly profiting from misogyny by continuing to advertise on Facebook, then perhaps you might pay attention to this: 74.9% of American women identify themselves as the primary shoppers for their households. And as more and more of them become aware of this campaign (over 22,000 tweets have been sent in the last 3 days alone) that’s more and more women (and those who care about them) who won’t be buying your products in the future.

Written by Imran Siddiquee at MissRepresentation.org. Follow him on Twitter @imransiddiquee