THE PROBLEM FOR ADVERTISERS, A NEW THREAT TO THE FREEDOM OF SPEECH

Today there is a new threat to business owners, their customers and potential customers in the form of activist boycotts. Business owners spend advertising money to educate as many people as possible from all walks of life and from all kinds of belief systems about their products and services in the hopes that there products and services will serve all humanity in a positive way.   In order to share with as many people as possible advertisement opportunities are purchased by business owners and individuals from various organizations where people are likely to see the advertisements.

Today it is becoming increasingly popular for activists and some anarchists to threaten business owners and intimidate their customers with boycotts of their goods and services unless they withdraw their advertisements from venues where ideas may be expressed that are contrary to the ideas of the activists.  In some cases business owners cave in to these threats only to be boycotted by those on the opposite side of the activists who threatened the boycott in the first place.

This increasing and ever present threat of boycotts is growing out of control and represents a threat that can conceivably result in fewer and fewer venues within which to advertise.  In the very least, these boycotts are very unfair to advertisers and business owners because the act of advertising to any crowd does not necessarily mean that the advertiser supports anything that is being said by the hosts and the platforms upon which they advertise.  In other words the act of advertising is meant to reach as many people as possible from all backgrounds and belief systems. These threats of boycotts also directly infringe upon the rights to free speech that are valued by everyone.

THE SOLUTION

Advertisers United is a non-partisan and ever growing group of business owners, individuals and advertisers that all support each other in not giving in to the threats, intimidation and live campaigns to boycott goods and services.  When member advertisers receive such threats they can refer the activist to Advertisers United who will respond to activists on behalf of the group with education about freedom of speech and will inform the activist they will need to boycott the entire list of members of Advertisers United as they all stand together.  Where it may be applicable Advertisers United will work with law enforcement authorities and lawyers to help deter the threats of anarchists. Advertisers United will also encourage the preservation of free speech and help create healthy venues where activists can be heard through healthy debates.

If enough businesses and individuals join Advertisers United then activists who seek to boycott individual members will have to boycott an entire host of businesses and services that would make any boycott impractical.

While individual members of Advertisers United are still free to withdraw their advertising from where-ever they like for whatever reasons. The option will remain the right of the business owners (and customers) and not activists who simply disrupt commerce without any regard for the rights to free speech and jobs that may be lost when advertisers are forced to pull their campaigns from large venues.  Business owners and customers should not be held hostage for political and ideological reasons that have no direct relationship with business owners who are only trying to educate people about their products.  In addition it is impractical for business owners and advertisers to apologize for every misstep and misstatement of owners of the venues in which they advertise.

Join Advertisers United today and stop the intimidation and threats against free speech.

NOTE: In some cases membership may be contingent upon a vote by existing members that can be called by existing members.