Don't like something? Boycott it.
In recent weeks, the American Girl doll stores, teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch and an entire country--Aruba--found themselves on do-not-shop lists.
They became targets of a political and social weapon that is easier to employ in the age of instant communications, one which can induce frustration or even panic in corporate boardrooms. Though sometimes, depending on the personality of the company, a boycott can result in a publicity bonanza.
In the past year, Walgreens, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Lowe's stores and Disney have incurred the high-profile wrath of the left, the right and sometimes both at the same time.
Monroe Friedman, a professor emeritus at Eastern Michigan University who has studied boycotts for 35 years, said it is difficult to quantify whether the strategy has gained or lost effectiveness in an era he describes as "the boycott of the week."
But because the Internet has made it easier for many voices to be heard, boycotts can achieve results even without mobilizing a single shopper to stay away. The threat can be enough.
"Most are not even boycotts at all ... but just a call for a boycott, which is really just a way to get attention," Friedman said.
A search of the word "boycott" on Google turned up current or dormant calls for boycotts of Microsoft, Nike, Gillette, Delta, Sinclair Broadcasting and Israeli goods, among many others.
Story in Full
In recent weeks, the American Girl doll stores, teen retailer Abercrombie & Fitch and an entire country--Aruba--found themselves on do-not-shop lists.
They became targets of a political and social weapon that is easier to employ in the age of instant communications, one which can induce frustration or even panic in corporate boardrooms. Though sometimes, depending on the personality of the company, a boycott can result in a publicity bonanza.
In the past year, Walgreens, Kraft Foods, Microsoft, Wal-Mart, Lowe's stores and Disney have incurred the high-profile wrath of the left, the right and sometimes both at the same time.
Monroe Friedman, a professor emeritus at Eastern Michigan University who has studied boycotts for 35 years, said it is difficult to quantify whether the strategy has gained or lost effectiveness in an era he describes as "the boycott of the week."
But because the Internet has made it easier for many voices to be heard, boycotts can achieve results even without mobilizing a single shopper to stay away. The threat can be enough.
"Most are not even boycotts at all ... but just a call for a boycott, which is really just a way to get attention," Friedman said.
A search of the word "boycott" on Google turned up current or dormant calls for boycotts of Microsoft, Nike, Gillette, Delta, Sinclair Broadcasting and Israeli goods, among many others.
Story in Full
