What’s at the Heart of a Boycott?

TUPELO, Miss.—What’s the deal with all the boycotts? Do they really work, and does passing up stores with a bullseye on the marquee, picking another restaurant or even choosing another cereal really make much of a difference?

The American Family Association (AFA, www.afa.net), now about eight months into its highly successful #BoycottTarget initiative, answers a resounding, “yes.”

AFA was featured in major media outlets last week to talk about why efforts like the Target boycott and the annual “Naughty or Nice” list are more than just rallying cries to skip shopping at certain retailers this year. Rather, these initiatives communicate that Americans are not satisfied to sit idly by while corporate America bullies them into feeling marginalized by their closely held beliefs.

First, AFA Executive Vice President Ed Vitagliano was interviewed by Breitbart.com, which is waging its own boycott against Kellogg’s.

Many corporate executives are now ducking left-wing advocacy because they’ve seen how Target’s pro-transgender push sparked a painful customer boycott, reported Breitbart. The economically damaging boycott of Target “makes it easier for [other] company officials to address gay groups, transgender groups, and say ‘We have a responsibility to our shareholders and we do not want to anger our customer base, and so we’re not taking your side or the other side,’” Vitagliano told the conservative news outlet.

Then, AFA’s Naughty or Nice list was a focus for Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly, who talked about the list and called out businesses acting like Scrooge this Christmas. Each year, AFA encourages shoppers to steer clear of these retailers, both in-store and online, that tend to ignore Christmas in favor of more generic “holiday” promotions, advertising and decorating. See the “nice” and “naughty” stores here.

“Each year, American Family Association makes every effort to ensure that Christmas isn’t repeatedly watered down,” said AFA President Tim Wildmon. “The word ‘Christmas’ is a reminder of Jesus Christ and his miraculous birth, yet many push His name away in an effort to eradicate anything that reminds them of the Savior. That’s why we must work diligently to keep the word ‘Christmas’ alive—and keep Christ in Christmas.

“And this Christmas especially—and into 2017—the American Family Association is holding firm to our conviction that men have no place in women’s restrooms and dressing rooms at Target or anywhere else,” Wildmon continued. “Already, nearly 1.5 million have pledged not to shop at Target because of this dangerous and misguided policy, and Target’s revenues and store traffic tell us that those commitments are making a difference.”

For more information on American Family Association, visit www.afa.net or follow AFA on Facebook or on Twitter @AmericanFamAssc.

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To interview a representative from American Family Association, contact Jen Retallick, 610-584-1096, ext. 100, Media@HamiltonStrategies.com or Deborah Hamilton, 610-584-1096, ext. 102, 215.815.7716.-