A recent boycott campaign in Italy against a large pasta brand has caused a social media stir after a senior Italian politician visited the factory. But how powerful, in fact, can a boycott campaign be on brands?
ADVERTISEMENTOne of Italy's most popular pasta makers, Rummo, which exports its products to more than 60 countries worldwide, has recently become the target of a social media boycott campaign.
Italian Deputy Prime Minister and right-wing League leader, Matteo Salvini, visited the pasta factory last Friday, and shared a video of the site on his social media accounts.
He said: "The scent doesn't reach you, though, in the face of those who advocate for insect flour, worms, crickets, and locusts; to those who in Brussels oppose the Mediterranean diet. Long live our pasta."
Since then, a boycott campaign against Rummo has started on the web with the hashtag '#boicottaRummo' (#boycottRummo).
Some criticise the pasta maker for allegedly using Salvini to adversely affect its brand, while others accuse the premier of consistently favouring Northern Italy with policies, highlighting inconsistencies in his praise for the Naples-based pasta brand.
The media have also largely reported the campaign, with headlines like such as "A spaghetti gathering that turned out to be indigestible."
In response to the boycott campaign, Rummo's owner, Cosimo Rummo, told Italian news agency ANSA: "People will continue to buy our pasta. I'm not accustomed to asking for a party membership card from people who come here."
Do social media boycotts on brands actually work?
Boycott campaigns against companies are not something new. Recently, Euronews Business reported that McDonald's Chief Executive Officer, Chris Kempczinski, has accused boycott campaigns of causing regional business losses in the Middle East because of allegations of the company's support of Israel.
Collective action (increasingly conducted on social media) aimed at diminishing a company's or product's reputation, for one reason or another, is gaining in popularity. However, how effective can consequences be on a brand?
According to Americus Reed, Junior professor of marketing at the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, it depends on what is intended by the definition of "work".
In an article for The New York Times, Reed writes: "If the aim is to hurt company sales, boycotts rarely succeed. But if the aim is to undermine companies that stand in the way of a movement, there is a greater chance that a boycott may tarnish a brand.
"Outrage comes and goes, and so do boycotts. Companies may suffer short sales dips, but social media boycotts seldom hurt the business bottom line of organisations in the long run," he added.
In the Rummo case, numerous Italian public figures and politicians have expressed support for the pasta maker brand, highlighting that, with a 2022 turnover surpassing €170 million, it provides jobs for more than 160 employees.
