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The entire black population of Montgomery, Alabama boycotted the bus companies for over a year, and chose to carpool or walk instead. It’s like the textbook example of non-violent direct action by workers against capital achieving its goals.
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Additional titbit about Adelaide, it also is the only place in the world where a milk drink (local Farmers Union Iced Coffee) outsells Coca Cola at a rate of about 2:1.
The act of boycotting might seem like something driven by social media. After all, we’ve recently seen it skyrocket on TikTok and X, but you might be surprised to learn that scholars trace the term “boycott” back to 19th-century Ireland. That’s when several tenants socially and economically shunned Captain Charles Boycott, who repeatedly refused to lower rents.
Instead of using violence, these tenants chose not to harvest his crops, deliver his mail, or sell him goods. Since the captain cared most about money, being hit where it hurt had a real impact. He ended up having to hire outside laborers, which cost more than the crops themselves, and while he still didn’t lower the rents, he ultimately removed himself from the community altogether.
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I use to work for Merrill L***h post 2008 Great Recession. They were purchased by Bank of America. Around 2010 or 2011 Bank of America rolled out with a $5 a month ATM fee for all accounts. Lots of people got pissed over this $5 fee. So much so that millions of deposits left Bank of America to other banks. It wasn’t long before Bank of America rolled back and removed that $5 fee a month. They never publicly disclosed how much money left the bank.
You better believe if customers just accepted that $5 fee it wouldn’t be long before all the other banks adopted that fee. It’s great to see the collective customer base stand up and revolt to make a change in the big corporation’s behavior.
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Boycott was a land agent (the muscle), enforcing english landlord rules on local irish.
> local activists of the Irish National Land League encouraged Boycott's employees (including the seasonal workers required to harvest the crops on Lord Erne's estate) to withdraw their labour, and began a campaign of isolation against Boycott in the local community. This campaign included shops in nearby Ballinrobe refusing to serve him, and the withdrawal of services. Some were threatened with violence to ensure compliance.
Other successful boycotts often involve banks and similar financial institutions. Many people might remember the 2008 controversy with Bank of America, when it introduced a $5 monthly fee. It was only when customers united and started leaving the bank altogether that the company got the message and quickly reversed the decision.
So why does this tactic work so well? According to experts, there are a few key reasons behind it. After all, economic pressure is one of companies’ biggest fears. When the public enforces financial pressure and damages a company’s reputation, revenue starts to drop, and stock prices can follow. In the end, it’s all about hitting where it hurts.
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Some boycotts are far less political than we might expect — take Starbucks in Adelaide, for instance. The reason the local population boycotted it wasn’t due to political ties or investors — far from it. It came down to taste. The coffee simply wasn’t up to local standards, and many people thought it was just… mid. And the protest worked: to this day, there’s still no Starbucks in Adelaide.
As you can imagine, though, for a company to be effectively blacklisted, it takes quite a large participation for a boycott to succeed. Recent studies show that about a third of consumers in the U.S. have boycotted a business for various reasons, whether political, ethical, or environmental. It goes to show that consumers still have the power to create change.
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One time the CEO streamed a giveaway and the initial winner was chosen. The CEO provided to look over and berate every aspect of this streamers admittedly low viewer count and stream schedule. But that wasn't the point of the giveaway, nor was it outlined that you needed **any** credentials to be a winner. Yet he looked over nearly every stream stat and practically tore this guy down, all to justify choosing someone else who would promote the company to a wider audience, prioritizing his company over the very audience he hoped to cultivate.
Needless to say, his company lost so much business they went bankrupt in 2022.
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Now, you might be surprised to see so many big names on that list, especially since they’re still in business and often thriving. Brands like Nestlé, Nike, Gap, and even Xbox have all been under scrutiny for different reasons, ranging from the Nestlé water controversy to child labor concerns, and even something as simple as rising video game prices.
But that raises an important question: how do these businesses continue to thrive despite backlash? Very simply put, experts point to the power of marketing and PR. Take Nestlé, for example: the company invested in PR damage control, launched water-related initiatives, and, soon enough, consumers continued buying its products. When a company is large enough, its chances of recovery are much higher.
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[And the grape boycott supporting the Agricultural Workers Organizing Committee helped the union win rights for thousands of workers]
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Nowadays, though, the reason so many people join this kind of “peaceful” protest may not always be entirely ethical. In fact, experts often point to the phenomenon of “herd mentality.” This suggests that as people feel increasingly judged online for supporting brands that aren’t seen as politically correct or widely accepted, they may choose to boycott simply out of fear of not fitting in with their peers.
Jeremy Bentham would argue that, in the end, as long as actions produce good results, the intentions behind them don’t really matter and they are still morally right. But what do you think? Have you ever boycotted a business and made a difference, or do you believe that, in the end, big conglomerates will win no matter what? Let us know.
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