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You may not think a big corporation cares what you think, but consumers have a significant amount of power over business decisions. Consumer activism can have a direct effect on profits and can ultimately lead a company to change its behavior. Boycotts, blackouts, and other forms of activism are becoming more common and will likely continue to trend.
Key Takeaways
- Consumers can use economic blackouts, boycotts, and board elections, along with purchasing power, to influence corporate policies.
- Social media helps consumers rally together and spread their messages so business leaders can take notice.
- Companies take action because they don’t want negative publicity or financial losses.
What Is Consumer Activism?
Consumer activism uses your purchasing power to help fuel change. Aside from voting, it’s considered one of the most common political activities in the United States.
As many as 40% of Americans have changed their shopping habits based on their “moral views,” particularly because of the changing political climate. Twenty-four percent of Americans said they no longer shopped at their favorite stores because of their political leanings.
“Consumer activism has benefited from the trifecta of values-based consumption among millennials and Gen Z consumers,” said Patrali Chatterjee, chair and professor of Montclair University’s Marketing Department in New Jersey.
According to Chatterjee, consumers see brands as extensions of their values and expect businesses to follow ethical practices. Furthermore, social media platforms like Facebook, X, and TikTok allow consumers to rally others using viral messages, videos, and memes to their cause.
Blackouts, Boycotts, and Boards
Boycotts are protests that focus on specific products or companies in response to an issue. These efforts continue to gain momentum as consumers choose brands and companies that align with their beliefs while dismissing those that do not. Companies and brands like Bud Light, Disney, Papa John’s, Tesla (TSLA), and Target (TGT) have all been affected by significant boycotts.
“Target faced backlash and financial consequences after scaling back its DEI efforts, which many consumers perceived as a retreat from social responsibility,” said John Donnellan, professor and chair of the Department of Management at New Jersey City University.
The company’s sales dropped during the first quarter of 2025 by 2.8% while comparable same-store sales dropped by 3.8% from the same period in 2024. The company’s chief executive officer (CEO) cited an “exceptionally challenging environment” and “additional headwinds” that affected consumer confidence.
Larger than boycotts, economic blackouts are coordinated efforts to stop all spending for a certain period. The People’s Union USA scheduled week-long blackouts in 2025, encouraging consumers to stop shopping, especially at Amazon and big box retailers, to protest corporate policies and focus their dollars on small businesses. Blackouts may have an immediate short-term impact, although the overall effect is often hard to tell.
Note
Boycotts may not always have the intended effect. In 2020, people called for a boycott of Goya products after the company’s CEO declared his support for Donald Trump. Rather than dropping, Goya’s sales increased for several weeks after the announcement, resulting in a boycott.
Donnellan also expects to see investors using their voting power through corporate elections. Activist investors may use their shares to gain influence on corporate boards and enact environmental, social, and governance (ESG) policies. An example is Engine No. 1, a hedge fund that champions environmental responsibility.
“Their successful effort to elect Alexander A. Karsner to ExxonMobil’s board marked a significant shift,” he said. “Having environmentally conscious activist investors in governance roles is a powerful and effective way to advance sustainability from within.”
Are Businesses Noticing?
Corporations are increasingly sensitive to consumer values, beliefs, and sentiments, whether politically or socially motivated. They don’t want negative publicity and fear financial losses. Social media is also empowering consumers, allowing them to air their grievances and voice their opinions.
Here are two more examples:
- Consumers boycotted brand names like Aunt Jemima, Uncle Ben’s, and Land O’Lakes on social media, calling out their use of discriminatory stereotypes and iconography. The criticism led to the redesign and rebranding of their products.
- On the opposite side of the spectrum, Walmart rolled back some of its DEI initiatives after backlash from conservative groups.
Events like these are likely to continue. According to Chatterjee and Donnellan, consumers—especially millennials and Generation Z—are consciously rewarding or penalizing brands that go against their political views or the social causes they support, such as LGBTQ+, environmental, and DEI issues.
The Bottom Line
Major corporations are feeling the pressure from consumers who are choosing how they spend their money. Whether you decide to simply raise your voice on social media or stop shopping at certain stores, your actions can make an impact, especially when you’re part of a large blackout or boycott. Investors can also enact change by electing a board member to influence corporate policy.
