These days we are witnessing the ugly genocide from Israel to the Palestinians and besides sharing the true story of what has been happening in Gaza to expose the terrorism of Israel, we still feel completely helpless. Since many people are searching for ways to support Palestine, some came up with the idea of boycotting the brands that support Israel.
This boycott included essential brands that we almost use daily, which led people to find Egyptian alternatives instead of consuming the other ones.
While opinions were divided between boycotting or not, we have decided to give you a little introduction about what a boycott is, its advantages, and if it can make a serious change.
What Is A Boycott?
A boycott is an action taken by a group to stop purchasing from a certain brand; while we are familiar with the term, there are two types of boycotting, Primary and Secondary.
Boycotting a brand does two things, the first one is negatively affecting the brand’s reputation, which can lead to pushing customers away. The second one, due to the negative reputation, it can affect the profits.
Also, there are two types of boycotting, a primary one and a secondary one. The primary boycott is not buying any products or using any services from a certain brand that you disagree with its policies or values. This is similar to what we’re currently doing. We’re boycotting brands that support Israel.
The secondary one is aimed at a third party, which means that you boycott any place that sells the brands you’re boycotting
Why Are People Organizing A Boycott?
Every boycott has a goal to reach, for example, people are boycotting right now to pressure the brands. People boycott comes as a form of opposing or objecting to what the brand is doing or its values to make a change.
This is not the first boycott people organize against the brands that support Israel, but this is the most powerful. Ever since Israel started the genocide against Gaza and the U.S. supported it with money and weapons, people started to call for a boycott. The money you pay to get a meal, product, or service, part of it goes straight to aiding Israel, which is how they’re supported. This is why people decided to boycott.
Can Boycotting Make A Change?
The successful boycotts have some advantages and can make a change.
The biggest advantage of a successful boycott is making the business or the brand change its policy. The reason why some boycotts succeed is because it is considered an economic tool that pressures those who hold the economic cards. Money is the language of corporations so using boycotts is the right way to speak to them.
Whether the boycott achieved its goals or not, it still has some advantages.
1- Boycotts let you communicate with brands that share the same values as yours and it is a chance to stand up for what you believe in.
2- It draws attention to you and your cause, which can lead more people to join and support you.
3- Since boycotting is a popular pressuring method, brands will always prefer negotiation rather than being boycotted.
The Starbucks Statement: Another Call To Boycott
After the last provocative statement of Starbucks people are more determined to boycott.
A recent statement that went viral on social media from the official speaker of Starbucks Adam Johns says that the brand will sue Starbucks Workers United (SWU) for standing with Palestine. Some also say that Starbucks has stated that it will be donating money to the Israeli military.
The Result of Boycott On Brands
Ever since people promoted the boycotting initiative, we have seen multiple brands try their best to prove they support Palestine. While we might believe the people who run the franchise do, the problem here is, where is the money going?
In Egypt, right after people decided to boycott, the brands instantly made a move to support Palestine, and even though, they announced it, people are still boycotting.
A recent photo that was posted on social media, shows a banner on McDonald’s door supporting Palestine.
We can assume it’s because of two things,
1- The local franchise is supporting the cause.
2- The sales are going down due to the boycott.
How Long Should We Boycott?
There’s no timeframe for boycotting, it usually depends on the ones who made the boycotting decision. It also depends on the cause and whether the goals were achieved or not. In our case, there’s no timeframe as these brands will always support Israel even if the fire is ceased in Gaza.
So, this will depend on the will of the people.
As much as we know this boycott won’t make major changes but can you pay money for brands that support the genocide and the massacre that is happening in Palestine right now? We’ll leave the answer to you.
