Do Boycotts Really Work?

We've all seen it. The celebrity with their social media hashtag "#boycott" next to a picture of the product they abhor, at least for now they do. It's the latest scandal or outrage that involves a well-known corporation; Or perhaps they are begrudging a brand that supports/denounces whatever the latest political hot topic is. Black Lives Matter, LBGTQ, Vaccinations, Open Borders, Ukraine, Israel, I mean the list is endless! But do boycotts really work? Can public pressure cause change, or does the public just get distracted by the noise only to forget about it later on?
To get straight to it, the answer is YES, boycotts work... sometimes. And their benefactors as well as their degree of affectiveness depends on a few factors. Let's go over them.

Who is boycotting what and why?

Please notice the distinction that a boycott is not the same as wide-spread disuse due to poor handling of business. For example, several years ago we watched a leaked video that showed United Airlines forcably removing a gentlment from the plane and the next day their stock losses were astronomical. This is not a boycott, but merely a large amount of people saying "no thankyou" to lousy company policies that would allows such treatment of clientelle. Being wary of a company due to a massive recall of defective product or avoiding a company due to a 2-star average rating from a feedback website are not the best examples of boycotts in most cases.

In the current world, most people think of boycotting as a form of protest. In general, boycotting brands is thought to be an effective form of protest because it hits the brand where it hurts the most, the wallet.

Now, more than ever, we have seen heated tension in the political sphere, causing more and more concerned citizens to take a step back and scrutinize all they can do to promote change in every area of their lives, down to the stores they shop at and the brands they buy from the shelves of those stores. It's more than just minor annoyances and moot stances on tabloid issues. Stakes are getting higher. Cancel culture is real, whether you view it as good or not. People are seeing percieved importance of taking a strong political action in whatever way they can, including assessing the political contributions of the every-day items they buy.
The companies themselves are daring to test the political waters as more and more of them feel the need to "take a stand" and risk a boycott, or end up profiting very nicely if they find the right public platform. Whether it is a chicken sandwich restaurant chain making public statements on morality or a big tech company placing restrictions and penalties on consumers that do not share the same political values they do, such actions are essentially a roll of the dice because some companies have faired well while others have not.

Boycotts can and do work very well and with little effort if the publicity is wide enough. Recently we saw what happened when Gillette and Coca-Cola both made statements concerning their primary customer base that were perceived as impolite and as a result they saw a massive financial loss. Budweiser made an endorsement decision regarding a controversial member of the transgender community and it wasn't received well by their main demographic, and it ended up costing them dearly in sales and marketshare. If a social or political statement made by a company gets enough media coverage, the widespread results can be seen almost instantly. If CNN or Fox news promote it, or it travels through the social media universe quick enough, a boycott is most certainly going to shake things up with a company one way or the other, and we have seen the devastating havoc it can wreak.
Alternatively, a boycott can have the opposite effect with a company's bottom line. A controversial statement or endoresement can be made by the company's spokes person and the calls for boycott can trigger the other side of the issue to take over in support of the company, sending sales through the roof.

Or perhaps it is a case of "any publicity is good publicity"?

Either way, boycotts are widely unpredictable and far from a sure deal, but in a capitalistic society it is our right, no, our priviledge to spend our hard-earned money exactly where and with whom we want to. That ought to be with the companies and brands that align with our own convictions and interests, wouldn't you agree?
It's my personal conviction that boycotts do work and should be participated in actively and promoted amongst friends and family. Just as your vote at the ballot box makes seemingly small but ultimately powerfull difference, so does your dollar at the cash register.

ShopHowYouVote.com is a search engine that keeps tabs on the political donations and leanings of over 2,500 companies, making it easy for you to hold those companies accountable while you shop. ShopHowYouVote.com is all about making consumer awareness simple. With our free and easy-to-use brand/category/store search tool on our website, Android app, and iPhone app, you can send a powerful message to the many brands you shop for. Are you tired of the mess that our nation is in? Do you want to put your money where your own values are? Then by all means, shop how you vote! Please do us a favor and share this tool with a friend.

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