The "Why" Behind Product Boycotts
There’s been a lot of chatter lately about product boycotts including Bud Light, Target, Kohls and more. I’m going to touch on a couple of them because I think all of them can be viewed differently although the media is attempting to lump them into one thing. To keep this reasonably short, I’ll give my opinion on Bud Light and Target.
Know Your Audience
I believe there is a crowd of folks on the right who are boycotting Bud Light because of their decision to feature Dylan Mulvaney (a transgender social media influencer) on a commemorative can. There are those within the American populace who despise the idea of a transgender person and will never get past the idea in and of itself. My opinion is pretty layered and can be a standalone article, one which I may write in the future. I'll refrain from going any further at the moment since it would take longer than a few sentences to provide my position.
In addition to the partnership, Bud Light’s VP of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, was interviewed shortly thereafter to get her take on the partnership and where she’s looking to take Bud Light as a brand going forward. She commented that Bud Light’s brand image was too “fratty” and needed to be more inclusive. This was a grave public relations error.
A rule of thumb in advertising or marketing is, know your audience. Because it’s the best selling brand, I’m going to assume that Bud Light is a beer enjoyed by almost everyone across the beer spectrum. Not knowing the exact demographics, this is still a safe assumption to make. Calling a segment of your core audience to the carpet is never a good idea. Even if only 15% of Bud Light drinkers were to get offended by her “fratty” beer comment, that’s a pretty big portion of your audience that’s going to drop you and start drinking something else.
Most people think the reason Bud Light is being boycotted has to do with the Dylan Mulvaney partnership. This is definitely true for some people, but I think it has more to do with Heinerscheid and the comments she made in her interview. She sounded elitist and/or “better than” the audience she is saying no longer needs to drink the beer she is now in charge of promoting. People HATE being talked down to. This is no different than the farmer who comes to the bank in his overalls to get a loan, only to be turned down by the banker in a suit and tie. The farmer was judged upon arrival, but the banker may not realize that the same farmer needs a loan to expand his/her business which is already turning a multi million dollar profit. Of course, there are those who simply dislike the idea of “their” beer partnering with a trans person, but I think the larger reason for the boycott has to do with the snub and the way that snub was delivered along with the partnership.
Don’t Target Kids
Target is a different story. When you begin to market specifically to children, you’re wading into dicey waters. Cereal companies have been targeting kids for 40 years and getting away with it, making your kids fat by eating sugary foods is fine by the standards of most people. Reason being, although the cartoon frogs, captains and animals of all sorts are blatant, they’re considered harmless. I could argue this with child obesity rates and early onset diabetes skyrocketing in America, but I digress. A majority of people are accepting of this type of marketing and, on the whole, don’t have an issue with it. Cartoons also aren’t political. If and when we had the Honey Smacks frog wearing a pride shirt and waving a rainbow flag, I can guarantee there would be a problem.
By placing their rainbow line of clothing front and center of the store, Target opened themselves up to scrutiny. Fair or unfair, the “in your face” approach didn’t help matters. Add to this the designer of the clothing line being an open satanist, having “penis tucking” bathing suits for biological men on full display next to baby onesies featuring Pride imagery and text, you’re going to have backlash. “Who cares, this is what Target should be doing. We need to put an end to the purely heterosexual American idea of family!” That’s fine to have that opinion and in many ways, I don’t disagree. There are certainly plenty of same sex couples who have children and they and their kids should be fairly represented. However, does it need to be front and center as you enter the store? What if this were a display of Jesus pajamas called, “Jesus’ Jammies.” Jesus would be on full display with mannequins of children dressed in pajamas featuring crosses, bible verses and depictions of the Angel Gabriel giving Jesus a high five as happy children look on. Do you think there wouldn’t be an issue with this? Of course there would and there's the rub.
My point is, if you’re going to peddle the religion of woke, you have to be ready for the backlash that comes with it. As a company and a marketing team for that company, you need to have an understanding of your audience, your brand and the perception something like this will have on your corporate image. Pushing the boundaries of equality is one thing, pushing an ideology is another thing altogether. The religion of woke is not for everyone. To say it has to be is un-American. We should all be allowed to choose how we act and feel. If we’re offended by something, at the very least we should be able to express that notion and boycott a company if necessary to get our point across. The idea of capitalism is one of the last truly free forms of protest remaining in America and people are using it to show their dissatisfaction or disagreement with woke ideologies. Being a defender of personal freedoms and our constitution, I of course have zero issues with this. It's your right to do as you see fit. When you cause harm to others both physically or verbally is when we'd have an issue.
Boycotts are a tricky business though. I’ve personally boycotted several companies for varying reasons, only to cave over time due to supply/demand, price or simply because it had been years on an island by myself and only I cared. I will make a prediction; the Bud Light brand is dead and can never be revived. I don’t see any way they can come back from the damage that’s been done, due largely to the “frat image” comments more than the Mulvaney partnership. I think they’ll either come out with new packaging, re-brand or simply create a new light beer altogether aimed at winning back the audience they lost. People buy Bud Light or any light American beer to get drunk and have a good time doing it. With all the other options available, Coors, Miller Lite and a growing number of craft beers will slide right in and continue to gain market share while Bud Light dies a slow death.
Target on the other hand can and will be saved. There are simply too many people who dislike shopping at Wal-Mart and appreciate what Target had to offer in comparison. On the whole, it’s a much nicer shopping experience with better quality and somewhat comparable prices that will eventually bring people back. There are those who will never shop there again or say they won’t, but years after the fact they’ll forget about it and buy the latest Joanna Gaines shirt or Mossimo board shorts for their summer trip to the pool.
I say this as a proud American, we’re fat and lazy and take the easy way out more often than not. It’s hard to fathom that a majority of people will stick to their beliefs and boycott Target or any other company for longer than a month or two. Similar to the latest fad diet, the boycotts will go by the wayside and most likely end sooner rather than later. Don’t believe me? Take a walk around a theme park and note the expanded waistlines on most of the park goers. You’re witnessing hundreds of fad diets (aka boycotts) that started with so much promise, only to die in the wake of American excess. Boycott whomever you want, but don’t be surprised when you’re the only one left standing.
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