BoycottUSA and BoycottTrump Does Not Mean Not Buying American

There is a growing global ‘movement’ for “Trump Free” products, which to most people means a boycott of American made products.   If you are one of those people you should be thinking about two things:

Boycotts Backfire

1. Boycotts usually INCREASE the sale of a particular product because boycotts:
   1. are like free advertising in that it raises awareness of the product
   2. encourages people on the other side of the issue to by more
2. Trumps support is only in rural states meaning not buying products from non-Trump friendly states, like California or New York:
   1. actually hurts like minded people that support your position
   2. has virtually no impact on his supporters

If you still want to boycott American products you should do so carefully by targeting companies and regions, not the US in general

Is Canada Boycotting The US?

The short answer is, maybe  There is much talk of boycotting American made products since President Trump and his team made abusive comments about Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau after the G7 meeting in Quebec.

This silly spat caused an uprising of support for Trudeau which also changed the channel on a few nasty issues Trudeau was dealing with.  Now there is a momentum to stop buying American products.  While so far this is a symbolic gesture, more and more Canadians are getting more and more angry with Trump:

shoppers and travelers are mounting strikes against America’s pocketbook by boycotting U.S. goods and trips to the States. On Twitter, hashtags including #BuyCanadian, #BoycottUSProducts and #BoycottUSA are spreading tips on using purchasing power to defend Canada’s honour.
Source: ctvnews.ca/business/angry-canadians-are-shopping-trump-free-after-attacks-on-trudeau-1.3971632 

“F​–k​ you Trump. We just booked a $3,000 vacation to beautiful British Columbia. Happy anniversary to us. #Canadastrong #BuyCanadian #F***Tariffs,” tweeted ​Supreme Leader Lyna.  And one Twitter user called on “Patriotic Americans” to schedule vacations in Canada and increase their purchases of Canadian goods.
Source: nypost.com/2018/06/14/canadians-boycott-us-products-cancel-vacations-to-america

Canadians would be wise to consider the Chinese reaction to their problems with Trump because the Chinese are not having a ‘knee jerk’ reaction.  They have had lots of time to consider there options.

Is China Targeting America or Just Trump Supporters?

Donald Trump seemingly randomly put 25% tariffs (taxes) on Chinese products but the Chinese were MUCH smarter and put tariffs only on products that affect Trumps supporters.  For instance Soybeans, Corn, Sorgum, Cotton agricultural products from the rural US and Boeing industrial products.

Even though Boeing is based in Chicago which did not and does not support Donald Trump, China is going after it because:

1. It has a huge impact on the US stock market
2. China accounts for 25% of Boeing’s sales so it will have a serious impact on a major, high profile US company
3. Boeing’s assemble plants are in rural US which is Trumps base of support
4. Boeing parts come from global suppliers and this reminds them to keep the pressure on Trump

Read our full explanation of why China is going after Boeing HERE.

Consider These Boycott Backfire Examples:

StarBucks Refugee Boycott:

In January Starbucks announced it would hire 10,000 refugees in response to Trump’s travel ban, prompting supporters to threaten a boycott… The scheme went like this: Tell the barista your name was “Trump.” Then, if they didn’t write the name on the cup, record the incident and put it online. The idea gained traction under the #TrumpCup hashtag.

The result was an increase in Starbucks sales and responses like this one: