Politicised consumption and consumer behaviour: the effects of boycotts and buycotts
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.34630/tth.v6i1.7306Keywords:
Politicized Consumption, Boycott, Buycott, Consumer Behavior, Brand Loyalty, Purchase IntentAbstract
In a context marked by growing social awareness and the democratization of access to information, consumer behavior has progressively incorporated ethical, social, and political values into purchase decision-making processes. This article examines the impact of politicized consumption, through boycotts and buycotts, on purchase intention and brand loyalty, based on a critical literature review. The study concludes that boycotts tend to have negative effects on consumer–brand relationships, whereas buycotts foster more enduring connections. In this context, the role of psychological factors and consumer segmentation in the extension of these behaviors is highlighted, contributing to a better understanding of their strategic implications for marketing.
References
Ajzen, I. (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Audrezet, A., de Kerviler, G., & Moulard, J. G. (2020). Authenticity under threat: When social media influencers need to go beyond self-presentation. Journal of Business Research, 117, 557–569. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.07.008
Berger, J., & Milkman, K. L. (2012). What makes online content viral? Journal of Marketing Research, 49(2), 192–205. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmr.10.0353
Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2004). Doing better at doing good: When, why, and how consumers respond to corporate social initiatives. California Management Review, 47(1), 9–24. https://doi.org/10.2307/41166284
Boulianne, S. (2015). Social media use and participation: A meta-analysis of current research. Information, Communication & Society, 18 (5), 524-538. https://doi.org/10.1080/1369118X.2020.1802548
Bray, J., Johns, N., & Kilburn, D. (2011). An exploratory study into the factors impeding ethical consumption. Journal of Business Ethics, 98(4), 597–608. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-010-0640-9
Carrington, M. J., Neville, B. A., & Whitwell, G. J. (2014). Lost in translation: Exploring the ethical consumer intention–behavior gap. Journal of Business Research, 67(1), 2759–2767. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2012.09.022
Castells, M. (2012). Networks of outrage and hope: Social movements in the Internet age. Polity Press.
Chaffey, D. (2022). Global social media statistics research summary 2022. Smart Insights. https://www.smartinsights.com/social-media-marketing/social-media-strategy/new-global-social-media-research/
Chaudhuri, A., & Holbrook, M. B. (2001). The chain of effects from brand trust and brand affect to brand performance: The role of brand loyalty. Journal of Marketing, 65(2), 81–93. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.65.2.81.18255
Coombs, W. T. (2007). Protecting organization reputations during a crisis: The development and application of situational crisis communication theory. Corporate Reputation Review, 10, 163–176. https://doi.org/10.1057/palgrave.crr.1550049
Coombs, W. T. (2015). The value of communication during a crisis: Insights from strategic communication research. Business Horizons, 58(2), 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2014.10.003
De Veirman, M., Cauberghe, V., & Hudders, L. (2017). Marketing through Instagram influencers: The impact of number of followers and product divergence on brand attitude. International Journal of Advertising, 36(5), 798–828. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650487.2017.1348035
Du, S., Bhattacharya, C. B., & Sen, S. (2010). Maximizing business returns to corporate social responsibility (CSR): The role of CSR communication. International Journal of Management Reviews, 12(1), 8–19. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2370.2009.00276.x
Ellen, P. S., Wiener, J. L., & Cobb-Walgren, C. (1991). The role of perceived consumer effectiveness in motivating environmentally conscious behaviors. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 10(2), 102–117. https://doi.org/10.1177/074391569101000206
Festinger, L. (1957). A theory of cognitive dissonance. Stanford University Press.
Fournier, S. (1998). Consumers and their brands: Developing relationship theory in consumer research. Journal of Consumer Research, 24(4), 343–373. https://doi.org/10.1086/209515
Fournier, S., & Avery, J. (2011). The uninvited brand. Business Horizons, 54(3), 193–207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.001
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., & Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic word-of-mouth via consumer-opinion platforms: What motivates consumers to articulate themselves on the internet? Decision Support Systems, Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.10073
Hoffman, D. L., & Novak, T. P. (2009). Flow online: Lessons learned and future prospects. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 23(1), 23–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.10073
Hollebeek, L. D. (2011). Demystifying customer brand engagement: Exploring the loyalty nexus. Journal of Marketing Management, 27(7–8), 785–807. https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2010.500132
Holt, D. B. (2002). Why do brands cause trouble? A dialectical theory of consumer culture and branding. Journal of Consumer Research, 29(1), 70–90. https://doi.org/10.1086/339922
Hüttel, A., Ziesemer, F., Peyer, M., & Balderjahn, I. (2018). To purchase or not to purchase? Why consumers make economically (non-)sustainable consumption choices. Journal of Cleaner Production, 174, 827–836. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.11.019
Kaplan, A. M., & Haenlein, M. (2010). Users of the world, unite! The challenges and opportunities of social media. Business Horizons, 53(1), 59–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2009.09.003
Kietzmann, J. H., Hermkens, K., McCarthy, I. P., & Silvestre, B. S. (2011). Social media? Get serious! Understanding the functional building blocks of social media. Business Horizons, 54(3), 241–251. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2011.01.005
Kim, S., & Choi, S. (2021). Teachers’ perceptions and practices of translanguaging for emergent bilinguals in U.S. multilingual classrooms. Translation and Translanguaging in Multilingual Contexts, 7(3), 279–307. https://doi.org/10.1075/ttmc.00079.kim
Klein, J. G., Smith, N. C., & John, A. (2004). Why we boycott: Consumer motivations for boycott participation. Journal of Marketing, 68(3), 92–109. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkg.68.3.92.34770
Kornberger, M. (2010). Brand society: How brands transform management and lifestyle. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511802881
Kozinets, R. V., & Handelman, J. M. (1998). Ensouling consumption: A netnographic exploration of boycotting behavior. In J. W. Alba & W. Hutchinson (Eds.), Advances in Consumer Research (Vol. 25, pp. 475–480). Association for Consumer Research.
Lou, C., & Yuan, S. (2019). Influencer marketing: How message value and credibility affect consumer trust of branded content on social media. Journal of Interactive Advertising, 19(1), 58–73. https://doi.org/10.1080/15252019.2018.1533501
Makarem, S. C., & Jae, H. (2016). Consumer boycott behavior: An exploratory analysis of Twitter feeds. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 50(1), 193–223. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12080
Micheletti, M. (2003). Political virtue and shopping: Individuals, consumerism, and collective action. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1057/9781403973764
Moorman, C. (2020). Commentary: Brand activism in a political world. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 39(4), 388–392.https://doi.org/10.1177/0743915620945260
Morozov, E. (2009, 19 de maio). The brave new world of slacktivism. Foreign Policy. https://foreignpolicy.com/2009/05/19/the-brave-new-world-of-slacktivism/
Neilson, L. A. (2010). Boycott or buycott? Understanding political consumerism. Journal of Consumer Behaviour, 9(3), 214–227. https://doi.org/10.1002/cb.313
Nguyen, T.-P., & Dekhili, S. (2019). Sustainable development in Vietnam: An examination of consumers’ perceptions of green products. Business Strategy & Development, 2(2), 127–136. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsd2.48
Pfeffer, J., Zorbach, T., & Carley, K. M. (2014). Understanding online firestorms: Negative word-of-mouth dynamics in social media networks. Journal of Marketing Communications, 20(1–2), 117–128. https://doi.org/10.1080/13527266.2013.797778
Reed, A., Forehand, M. R., Puntoni, S., & Warlop, L. (2012). Identity-based consumer behavior. International Journal of Research in Marketing, 29(4), 310–321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijresmar.2012.08.002
Sen, S., Gürhan-Canli, Z., & Morwitz, V. (2001). Withholding consumption: A social dilemma perspective on consumer boycotts. Journal of Consumer Research, 28(3), 399–417. https://doi.org/10.1086/323729
Shaw, D., & Newholm, T. (2002). Voluntary simplicity and the ethics of consumption. Psychology & Marketing, 19(2), 167–185. https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.10008
Shaw, D., & Shiu, E. M. K. (2002). The role of ethical obligation and self-identity in ethical consumer choice. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 26(2), 109–116. 10.1046/j.1470-6431.2002.00214.x
Stolle, D., & Micheletti, M. (2013). Political consumerism: Global responsibility in action. Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511844553
Tajfel, H., & Turner, J. C. (1979). An integrative theory of intergroup conflict. In W. G. Austin & S. Worchel (Eds.), The social psychology of intergroup relations (pp. 33–47). Brooks/Cole.
Theocharis, Y. (2026). Political participation. In D. Stockemer, S. Sawyer, & A. Gagnon (Eds.), IPSA companion to political science (pp. 1–4). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-06918-4_10-1
Vermeir, I., & Verbeke, W. (2008). Sustainable food consumption among young adults in Belgium: Theory of planned behaviour and the role of confidence and values. Ecological Economics, 64(3), 542–553. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolecon.2007.03.007
Vredenburg, J., Kapitan, S., Spry, A., & Kemper, J. (2020). Brands taking a stand: Authentic brand activism. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 39(4), 444-460. https://doi.org/10.1177/0743915620947359
White, K., Habib, R., & Hardisty, D. J. (2019). How to SHIFT consumer behaviors to be more sustainable. Journal of Marketing, 83(3), 22–49. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022242919825649
Zorell, C. V. (2018). Varieties of political consumerism: From boycotting to buycotting. Palgrave Macmillan. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-91047-5
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 The Trends Hub, Revista de Tendências em Comunicação e Ciências Empresariais
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
