Opus College of Business Professor Aaron Sackett recently spoke with MPR on consumer psychology and the potential impact of the 40-day boycott of Target.
From the interview:
Host: Well, we’re a few days into a 40-day boycott of Target. It calls for supporters to give up shopping at the Minneapolis-based company during Lent. The boycott comes after Target announced that it would phase out a handful of diversity, equity and inclusion, or DEI initiatives. They followed several other corporations who made similar moves. ...
I’m curious to know what your initial reaction was when you heard about this boycott against Target in particular?
Sackett: It’s not particularly surprising, primarily because Target is a brand that really has emphasized customer loyalty, and that’s been a big part of their business plan for many, many years. And because of that loyalty that they try to foster when they change their direction in terms of their values, their priorities and hot button emotional issues, those loyal customers, particularly those who identify with the values that are being changed, they’re going to react.
Host: So when customers or consumers do react, we’ve heard a lot over the years about maybe a day of a boycott or I’m going to shop local more. What makes a boycott effective in your opinion?
Sackett: Part of the goal of the boycott is to just draw attention to it in the broader public space, to make sure that it hits the news, and to inspire other people who might be feeling in a similar way to also take action and vote with their wallets. But the bigger question is whether that’s going to have long-term effects for a business like Target. And we’ve seen in the past that sometimes it does and sometimes it doesn’t.
