• by Larissa Faw , July 31, 2020

Although the majority of Americans (54%) are entirely unaware of the current Facebook boycott, suggesting the marketing industry has been paying more attention to this than the average person, new research from Mediahub suggests for those consumers who are aware of the boycott, it is a powerful motivator for brand perception and loyalty. 

Nearly half of consumers aware of the boycott (46%) say they would view a brand more favorably for participating in the boycott, compared to 21% who viewed it unfavorably. (It is unclear what the lingering aftereffects of this boycott are and whether brands will join Ben & Jerry’s in extending their stance since it was only slated to last through July 31.)

Mediahub’s research reveals "Boycott Boosters" skew younger, more affluent, left-leaning, and coastal, though there are no statistical relevance in gender or ethnicity.

“Despite all the headlines around the potential financial impact of the brand boycott on Facebook, what’s missing in the story is the real impact on consumers,” says Liz Fermon, VP, Communications Planning, Mediahub. “Facebook’s response matters to its users, with one in three Boycott Boosters moving away from the platform. As this group looks to find more meaning in their social scrolls, advertisers will need to keep up with where these users are headed.” 

They are exploring other platforms. One in three (35%) say they have scaled back their time spent on Facebook platforms. Instead, 60% are spending more time on Pinterest over the past 30 days, 44% are spending more time on TikTok, 40% are spending more time on Twitter, 31% are spending more time on Snapchat and 24% are spending more time on Reddit.

Technology brands rank as the top category (58%) these so-called “Boycott Boosters” expect to support the Facebook boycott, followed by entertainment, such as TV networks and Netflix (56%), big box stores (48%), apparel/clothing brands (45%) and electronics (43%).
Some of the reasons cited by respondents included that “seeing their advertisements and feeling it would make a big difference” and “their cultural involvement spreads value.”

“One of the biggest surprises was that technology brands are those that the Boycott Boosters most want to support the boycott,” adds Fermon. "As we saw in this week’s Congressional Hearings, as tech giants continue to be under scrutiny, “distrust among consumers is growing.”

See more study results here.