The why, what, and how of Brand Boycott

Abstract

Brand boycotts are becoming more and more common. There is an increased focus on ethical brand behavior. Consumers boycott brands that are not living up to their expectations. The advancement of social media makes boycotts easy to organize. While the number of brand boycotts has been increasing, the literature on the subject is still quite limited. This study is looking into the reasons behind brand boycott, the outcomes of brand boycott, and the strategies brands can use to respond to brand boycotts.

Prior literature has focused on factors affecting consumer participation in boycott. The literature review gives an overview of previous topics covered within brand boycott. Mostly, the studies have been correlational and examined brand boycott in particular environments. With recent developments in the field there is a need for conceptual study.

Secondary data was used in this study. The authors collected data from YouTube videos, news articles, and blogs or other websites. The data was sorted in an Excel document and sorted into open codes by both the authors. From the open codes, aggregate dimensions and subcategories were generated. The authors found the aggregate dimensions of reasons behind brand boycott, outcomes of brand boycott and strategies for brands to respond.

The results showed that brands can respond to brand boycotts using passive or active strategies, there are negative and positive outcomes for both the organization and the consumer, and there are four main reasons why brand boycotts occur. The disidentification theory and complexity theory are used to help further contextualize the findings.

Contributions of this study are filling the gaps in the literature, and providing a framework which brands can use to navigate between brand boycotts today. Consumers and brands must prepare for an increasing amount of brand boycotts in the future. The findings of this study present a framework for both consumers and brands on how to navigate the increasing amount of brand boycotts.