• by Danielle Oster , September 20, 2024

Brands typically don’t want to appear alongside hateful content, but three of the world’s largest companies seem to be sponsoring it.

Coca-Cola, DoorDash and Meta are listed among the sponsors for the conservative Canada Strong and Free Regional Networking Conference 2024 event headlined by Chris Rufo, an American MAGA-affiliated political figure described as a far-right propagandist by the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Promotional information for the event includes acknowledgements of Coca-Cola and DoorDash as “silver-level” sponsors, and Meta as a “gold-level” sponsor. Rebecca Crosby initially reported on corporate sponsorship of the event in the “Popular Information” Substack, which included other brands not currently listed as sponsors in the event’s promotional materials online.

Coca-Cola and DoorDash didn’t respond to Marketing Daily’s requests for comment, or answer specific questions related to their sponsorship and apparent contradictions with stated brand values – including Coca-Cola’s stated purpose to "Use our global scale for leadership, for progress and for good," purported commitment to human rights, and both companies' stated commitments to diversity and inclusion.

A representative for Meta declined to offer a statement but shared a link to “Meta’s Political Engagement” page. It begins with the statement: “Meta’s mission is to give people the power to build community and bring the world closer together.”

Meta didn’t respond to previously sent questions over whether speech such as Rufo’s targeting of marginalized communities – including recently promoting baseless claims that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio were stealing and eating pets – contradicts such stated principles.

Rufo was one of the primary figures who helped promote and spread the racist allegations, including offering a reward for “evidence” for the false claims. He also has helped fuel far right attacks on LGBTQ+ speech and content in schools and libraries such as those in Florida's "Don't Say Gay" bill; is one of the major voices behind attacks on "CRT" and DEI programs; and has made statements supporting a hateful moral panic about LGBTQ+ teachers and school personnel. 

Rufo’s prominent speaking role at the conference has been known for months. A social media post from July 12, announcing him as a speaker, promoted his topic as “Fighting the left and wokism.” A program for the event lists Rufo as a “keynote speaker,” devoting an hour to his speech – twice the time afforded for a “keynote address” by far-right Alberta Premier Danielle Smith earlier in the day.

A controversial figure as well, Smith has fueled attacks on trans rights in the province, including a series of policy changes earlier this year that she said would be introduced this fall – including forcefully outing students under age 15 to parents, restrictions on gender affirming care for minors, and banning trans girls and women from participating in sports.

The Meta representative noted that the company has been a sponsor of the conference for about a decade, and claimed the company made organizational-level sponsorships to groups across the political spectrum.

Meta claimed it doesn’t sponsor specific CSFN events or play any role in its event programming. Despite this claim, Meta was not listed as a sponsor in promotional materials for last year’s conference. The company didn’t respond to questions over whether the inclusion of Rufo in the event would impact the company’s decisions regarding future sponsorship of the organization.

The company also highlighted a specific section of its page describing its approach to political engagement stating “we do not always agree with every policy or position that individual organizations or their leadership take” and its “support should not be viewed as an endorsement of any particular organization or policy.”