Do Boycotts really work?

[Stillriledup]

Anyone know of a company who got boycotted and actually saw enough of a drop in revenue to make a chance and go back to "old prices" or "un-do" something that caused the boycott in the first place?

Don't you have to have a backbone to actually boycott something?

[Robert Goren]

Although a few boycotts have worked, the odds are against them. Companies/industries develop a "we can not give in no matter what attitude" some times. I think we saw that in California when horseplayers boycotted their increase in takeout. I think any boycott of Churchill will not worked and would actually help them achieve what they really want, a racino. If you want to hit CDI where it hurts, make campaign contributions to the state senators who oppose expanded gambling in Kentucky.

[HUSKER55]

the only boycott I can remember that worked is when coke changed its' formula and people quit buying until they went back to the old one.

[badcompany]

Although a few boycotts have worked, the odds are against them. Companies/industries develop a "we can not give in no matter what attitude" some times. I think we saw that in California when horseplayers boycotted their increase in takeout. I think any boycott of Churchill will not worked and would actually help them achieve what they really want, a racino. If you want to hit CDI where it hurts, make campaign contributions to the state senators who oppose expanded gambling in Kentucky.

You see that attitude when Government is heavily involved in the business. In the private sector, companies can't afford to cop that attitude.

Even a giant like Apple is at the mercy of the consumer. They HAVE to make an IPhone with a larger screen. Otherwise, they're gonna see sales take a massive hit.

[Robert Goren]

You see that attitude when Government is heavily involved in the business. In the private sector, companies can't afford to cop that attitude.

Even a giant like Apple is at the mercy of the consumer. They HAVE to make an IPhone with a larger screen. Otherwise, they're gonna see sales take a massive hit.Explain to me again to how the boycott of CA racing caused them to repeal their hike of the takeout.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Boycotts rarely work anymore because they seem to constantly revolve around some hot-button political/social reason that actually has little to do with the product being boycotting itself (Chik-fil-A, et al.) Between those that do what they want and not as they say (the 99% today) and those that would buy five times as much of the product just to be on the opposite side of the political/social issue even if they don't ordinarily consume the boycotted product, I'm not sure how they can work anymore.

Today's version of a boycott is to flip the hell out over anything and post all over twitter and facebook and get enough people to be offended whether they understand why or not to get the company to offer a fifty paragraph apology and reverse course by the end of the day.

[Robert Goren]

Boycotts rarely work anymore because they seem to constantly revolve around some hot-button political/social reason that actually has little to do with the product being boycotting itself (Chik-fil-A, et al.) Between those that do what they want and not as they say (the 99% today) and those that would buy five times as much of the product just to be on the opposite side of the political/social issue even if they don't ordinarily consume the boycotted product, I'm not sure how they can work anymore.

Today's version of a boycott is to flip the hell out over anything and post all over twitter and facebook and get enough people to be offended whether they understand why or not to get the company to offer a fifty paragraph apology and reverse course by the end of the day. You have got the strategy down pat. If it works well, you only see that the company apologized on the news.

[johnhannibalsmith]

Yeah, by the way, thanks again to Ray Paulick for putting this strategy into perfect action within an hour and by the end of the day helping to get my buddies that risk their lives every day the insurance that they should have had all along.

[DJofSD]

Explain to me again to how the boycott of CA racing caused them to repeal their hike of the takeout.
Good one.

I haven't made an exacta bet since the rates were raised. Lot of good that's done. :rolleyes:

[TJDave]

Don't you have to have a backbone to actually boycott something?

You do.

There were no grapes on our table for the better part of five years.

[badcompany]

Explain to me again to how the boycott of CA racing caused them to repeal their hike of the takeout.

Again, Government is heavily involved in racing. So, racing doesn't have to obey market forces to the same extent. It might be a bit different if competition existed that could charge whatever takeout it saw fit.

[_______]

Gandhi's salt boycott in colonial India. The Montgomery bus boycott. The UFW's grape boycott in the 60's.

You could even look back at colonial non-importation agreements as boycotts that were successful in forcing the British to rescind the Townsend act (Look it up if you don't already know. You should know your own countries history).

I'd say the that a successful boycott requires either a reasonable alternative to the boycotted product (Montgomery blacks organized private transportation. There were grape growers who had signed union agreements.) or a sense of outrage large enough in a large enough population to sustain doing without.

I've always loved the social media campaigns whenever gas prices pass a round number. You know the ones. "Hey everyone, let's teach the awful Oil Barons a lesson and not buy gas next Tuesday!". As if the "sacrifice" of waiting a day to make an inevitable purchase matters to anyone involved in the sale.

As a side note, anyone here know where the term "boycott" comes from? It's an interesting read if you have a minute to waste on Google.

[DJofSD]

As I recall, the term is actually some one's last name.

[cj's dad]

Boycotts could work if EVERYONE sat on their wallets for a month or two; spend no $$$ for nothing that was not absolutely necessary.

[_______]

Boycotts could work if EVERYONE sat on their wallets for a month or two; spend no $$$ for nothing that was not absolutely necessary.

Your statement is incontrovertibly true.

The problem is that most people (including me) aren't willing to make even the smallest sacrifice in personal comfort to support some nebulous and probably unachievable future result. Add in red vs. blue where blue will rush in to support whatever red is boycotting and vice versa.

Most boycotts don't work (and we can be thankful for that) because even though a passionate few think THEY can sustain the sacrifice, most of the population won't.

You first need a decent villain. And everyone has to agree they're a villain. They cant be too good at villainy though or else people will never get organized. So that's a pretty small sweet spot for something everyone agrees is worth making some sacrifice for (and will actually carry through) but isn't going to actually crush them under boot.

You basically need the colonial British.

[Tom]

Boycotts could work if EVERYONE sat on their wallets for a month or two; spend no $$$ for nothing that was not absolutely necessary.

Some of us call that.......LIFE! :eek:

[NJ Stinks]

I've been boycotting Wal-mart and Exxon for decades. Doesn't seem to mean much. I also attempt to boycott anything made in China. It gets harder everyday to boycott China.

Will I boycott CD? Maybe. But definitely not on Oaks and Derby days - too many fish in the pools.

[Stillriledup]

Boycotts could work if EVERYONE sat on their wallets for a month or two; spend no $$$ for nothing that was not absolutely necessary.

This is where the "backbone" comes in. All "America" would have to do is this. Buy up some non perishable food items, fill your car up with gas and then for 3 or 4 days, make ZERO purchases. Bring your lunch/snacks to work that you have already bought and just stand pat....i think if nobody in America made one single purchase for a few days, wouldn't that cause businesses to lower prices in order to make sales? I mean, at some point you gotta sell stuff to stay in business.