Unilever’s Marketing Chief Keith Weed delivered a pledge to remove business from digital platforms that fail to protect children or that ‘create division in society’, according to a report published by The Drum.

Addressing the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting as keynote speaker, Weed sketched out a new transparency pledge that will see the Anglo-Dutch FMCG manufacturer cut ties with any digital platform found not to be protecting children or which creates division in society; Unilever will only partner with platforms committed to creating a better digital infrastructure with a clear, unified measurement system and improved consumer experience.

“As a brand-led business, Unilever needs its consumers to have trust in our brands. We can’t do anything to damage that trust – including the choice of channels and platforms we use,” he said. “So, 2018 is the year when social media must win trust back. Across the world, dramatic shifts are taking place in people’s trust, particularly in media. We are seeing a critical separation of how people trust social media and more ‘traditional’ media. In the US only less than a third of people now trust social media (30%), while almost two-thirds trust traditional media (58%).”