It’s been characterized as a boycott in many of the media reports.
I think that overstates what’s going on.
A Boycott suggests that there’s an organizing group. Folks with an agenda, newsletter, signs, and protesters.
I think this is far more organic and not organized. I think this is individual people saying they’re tired of a particular aspect of American life and are choosing individually to avoid a product.
I didn’t talk to anyone about my decision to avoid BudLight. Indeed, I was very disappointed to discover that my beloved Corona was owned by Anheuser-Busch. I thought Modello was still an independent company.
It’s not a problem, I like Blue Moon just as well. For me, Corona versus Blue Moon is more often a matter of pricing. Given that I don’t drink a lot of beer I guess it’s a nonissue because a 12 pack lasts me more than a month. I like a beer sometimes with lunch and sometimes it’s nice to have a beer after I’ve been out doing yard work.
Next beer run, I’ll be buying Blue Moon.
I’ve not talked to anyone about boycotting. I don’t much care what other people are doing. I chose to distance myself from Anheuser-Busch because I personally am weary of the Trans Shit.
I’m also weary of corporate America and politicians pandering to the latest fad. The only way to register my annoyance with companies is not to use their products, so Anheuser-Busch, among others, doesn’t get my dollar.
I suspect that the rest of normal folks like me, make similar choices all the time. I know Jewish folks who will not buy BMW, Volkswagen, Audi, Porsche, or Mercedes. I’d hope you don’t need an explanation, if you do, you can look it up. I also know American folks who will not buy a Japanese car. Neither of these groups are racist, nor are they boycotting, they just have a very long memory, and a plethora of other options.
Where Target is concerned It’s not as easy. I really like the Super Target. I like being able to go one place and get what I need. If I hit the Super Target early enough I don’t even have to deal with a bunch of people. Wouldn’t be surprised to find a lot of people in the same boat.
That being said, I’m planning to give Costco a whirl for groceries this week. The problem is the portion size and subsequent storage of items. I might be back at the Super Target, or I’ll just go to a regular grocery store.
The point is I’m not actively boycotting Target, I’m choosing not to patronize them when / if it’s convenient to do so.
I’m doing that with a lot of products.
I’d bet that from a marketing standpoint that’s a whole lot tougher to deal with, or correct.
How do you combat apathy that is a result of your customer base not being really angry at you, rather they’re just not interested in your virtue signaling, and therefore your company’s products.
Worse, I’d bet that once a corporation has become known for virtue signaling and pandering, they will have a tough time coming back from it. Almost any advertising campaign would be viewed through the same lens.
I recently loaded up on Apple Products. I was replacing worn out devices and preserving a software investment. I actually didn’t enjoy going to the Apple Store.
In the back of my mind was the thought, “I wish Apple would just sell Technology and avoid politics,” And then I was helped by a jittery blue haired young lady who almost scolded me for not making a shopping appointment. It was the epitome of what I found distasteful about putting money in Apple’s pocket.
Will I purchase other Apple Products? Probably. Will I be excited about those purchases? Probably no more than being excited about a visit to the dentist. I’ll have to do it, I know it’s gonna be expensive, and that’s just the way it is. If I’m not the only customer to feel that way, then Apple isn’t going to do much growing.
They’re not the only company who may be facing this kind of issue, but they’re one of the largest and most visible.
NorthFace is another company that is well known but perhaps a bit more niche than Apple. Their most recent ad might have reduced their annual sales for much the same reasons.
Why buy NorthFace which is arguably an expensive brand when you can buy Mountain Hardwear, or Patagonia, or Osprey.
NorthFace is a company that should have put the money they spent on a crappy ad, into improving quality. I had a NorthFace 3 season jacket that was 12 years old. It had held up well but needed to be retired.
I went to a store that handled NorthFace and found that similar jackets were badly made, more expensive, seemed to use cheap materials, (they felt cheap,) the zippers were awful, and were overall less flexible.
I ended up buying 2 Costco jackets for a total of $40 that have taken the place of the 3 season I had.
The pity is I’d gone back to a store explicitly to purchase another NorthFace 3 season jacket.
When I bought my jacket I paid something like $400 for it and didn’t blink. The quality was great and the versatility was worth every penny. I even bought another one for my other half.
I’m not boycotting NorthFace, I just won’t look at their products. That shitty ad with a genderfuck drag queen did nothing but fully take NorthFace off my radar. If that ad turned me off what did it do to the rest of America?
I don’t really think there is any boycott against any company in particular. I think it’s just an overall tiredness of average everyday folks with everything woke.
Honestly, this whole woke thing might be finally coming to an end. If it is, good riddance to bad rubbish.
