After bands threatened to boycott events supported by the bank – which invests six-figure sums in festivals staged by promoter Live Nation, including Download, Latitude and the Isle of Wight – amid pressure over its links to defence companies supplying Israel, itPeace.
In another coup for protesters, Baillie Gifford has now cancelled all its remaining deals with literary festivals. It’s now hard to imagine why any company would put itself through the ethical wringer for arts festivals in the future.After all, the sponsorship of major events is only a worthwhile marketing strategy if it shows businesses up in a good light.
Since social media tends to be their moral guide, the bible from which they learn right from wrong, I’d like to know who makes the devices they’re glued to? Apple has been known to hire US lobbyists who work with those “devilish” fossil fuel companies, as have Google and Microsoft.