Not going to Starbucks: Boycotts and the out-scouring of politics in the branded world

Abstract

Focusing on boycotts of Starbucks over last decade, this article looks more broadly at the current states of buying and civic engagement in the United States and abroad. Contrary to what Robert Putnam argues, at least in part, in his now classic text, Bowling Alone, this article suggests that, as formal electoral politics have lost their hold on many, citizens have not abandoned trying to change things or making their voices heard. Instead, they have increasingly expressed their ideas about everything from local affairs to foreign relations at the point of purchase — through in this case, not buying a widely recognized product to gain a say in the larger distribution of social power. ‘Open brands,’ ones that are sensitive to consumer desires, have, in turn, responded, producing a kind of ‘rough democracy of buying’ by offering political solutions to win or retain customers. In the end, however, the evidence suggests that while pursuing political power through (not) buying makes sense and reflects broader changes in the neoliberal world, this strategy of engagement, nonetheless, had severe limits. The stories of Starbucks boycotts show that consumer actions are easily co-opted by the marketing prowess and deft moves of multi-national brands and by the notion held by some consumers that (not) buying is enough as a study of these boycotts also points to a new way of seeing buying not so much as politics themselves but a stage in the process of politicalization.

Brand value co-creation in a digitalized world: An integrative framework and research implications

“…Starbucks is not only connecting with the brand experiences of customers in the social communities in which their stores are embedded, but also civic communities at large in providing an 'open brand' platform through which a 'rough democracy of buying' is produced (Simon, 2011). At the same time, through its brand engagement platforms, Starbucks is also connecting with the co-creational brand experiences of employee and partners throughout its value chain system, as well as extending and deepening external stakeholder engagement in the ecosystem in which it operates.…”

The Taste Transformation Ritual in the Specialty Coffee Market

“…Sherry (1995) interpreted coffee's cultural meanings as depicted on prime-time network television programming, noting that coffee is "perhaps the primary key symbol in contemporary consumer culture" (p. 357). Although coffee is considered the beverage of postmodernism (Roseberry, 1996), it has played an important role in consumer culture since the mid-sixteenth century; Karababa and Ger (2011) (anticorporate) experiences of globalization (Thompson & Arsel, 2004), emotional branding and doppelgänger brand image (Thompson et al, 2006), hegemonic brandscapes (Thompson & Arsel, 2004), boycotts and out-sourcing of politics (Simon, 2011), and global consumer culture in Scandinavia (Kjeldgaard & Ostberg, 2007).…”

Connoisseurship Consumption Community and Its Dynamics

“…The context of specialty coffee was chosen for study because it has several important features such for consumers' (anti-corporate) experiences of globalization (Thompson & Arsel, 2004), emotional branding, and doppelgänger brand image (Thompson, Rindfleisch, & Arsel, 2006), hegemonic brandscapes (Thompson & Arsel, 2004), boycotts, and outsourcing of politics (Simon, 2011), Coffee culture and consumption have been studied in Japan (Grinshpun, 2013), and coffee's role in global consumer culture in Scandinavia (Kjeldgaard & Ostberg, 2007). Furthermore, specialty coffee allows for a variety of serious leisure pursuits, like professional specialization (baristas or other professionals who brew coffee), training (public coffee cupping courses, coffee tastings, coffee seminars), equipment acquisition (espresso machines, grinders, brewing equipment), competitions (world and regional barista championships, brewers cup championships, cup tasters championships), and consumption with different audiences (public, friends, family, coworkers).…”