Quote:
Originally Posted by NoMo50
Perhaps the "silent majority" is not so silent after all. Large corporate entities are learning, the hard way, that trying to be a social media influencer comes with a cost. If you are in the entertainment business, entertain me. Once you dip your toe into the ever dividing social media cesspool, I'm out.
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Indeed! Actions have consequences. And when those consequences hit the bottom line…well…
Disney is far from alone in this regard. The website rigorous themes dot com, in an article by Ben Levin, points out the dangers faced by companies who dabble in social change. But Disney has company in this regard: also affected by the “social change” phenomenon include Gillette, Nike, Pepsi and Bud Lite, as well as several others. There was a striking example of this just recently at the annual Sturgis motorcycle rally, which had pretty extensive coverage on YouTube. Bikers as a group have been known to indulge themselves in a beer or two upon occasion. I saw more than one clip showing the crowds gathering around this-or-that watering hole in Sturgis. In sharp contrast was the Budweiser tent, which stood nearly empty.
In sharp contrast to this are the success of those businesses that profess traditional values. Perhaps the best-known of these include Hobby Lobby, Marriot and Chick-Fil-A, though there are many others. Most striking among these successes, at least in my opinion, is that both Hobby Lobby and Chick-Fil-A achieve their success by being open to the public only six days per week.
None of this is a “one cause fits all” phenomenon and of course there are other issues that play into it as well. But the TRENDS are undeniable. Trying to change the traditional social status quo, when the attempts are being made by business and especially when the bottom line is dependent on catering to the public, has consequences. And all too often those consequences are not what those companies thought they would be. People express their displeasure with their pocketbooks as well as in other ways.