Consumers' Research has a new “woke alert." On the sign-up sheet available at the website, the organization warns, “Many corporations are putting progressive activists and their dangerous agendas ahead of customers. They’ll only succeed if we look the other way.” Users can then enter their cell numbers and receive text notifications when businesses go “woke.” Considering the political climate, the DC nonprofit’s new offering will have phones blowing up all over the country.
Taking Care of Business
Budweiser – and the company’s deal with biological-male-turned-transgender-woman Dylan Mulvaney – is the latest cause for consumer hysteria, and high-profile protesters only add fuel to the fire. Rap-rocker Kid Rock keeps shooting cases of the beer and country star Travis Tritt has rewritten concert venue contracts to exclude any Bud Light merchandise – beer, T-shirts, cozies, and the like.
The Jack Daniels brand of Tennessee whiskey also warranted an alarm for its “small town big pride” campaign featuring drag queens. It was a quiet promotion in 2021 for Tennessee Fire, a cinnamon-flavored brew, and apparently Ru Paul’s “girls” were the perfect example of the spark needed. But Jack Daniels is now on the list, and the old ads undoubtedly won’t be the last to be dredged up.
Robert Garcia (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Not everyone believes this a good strategy – at least not on the left. After years of rabid anti-Trump protests, many progressives are singing a different tune now in light of today’s boycott fever. “The right-wing is hell-bent on moving our country backwards, and this new text service is laughable,” Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA) told Axios. “I look forward to continuing to support brands who understand that our country is a place of progress and inclusion, not hate.”
The intensity of the latest rush to embrace the transgender lifestyle is not about being a good human. It’s about not failing the Corporate Equality Index (CEI). The Human Rights Campaign, the world’s largest LGBTQ lobbying organization, has finally hit its stride. In 2002, it created the index to rate businesses that were friendly, inclusive workplaces for gay and lesbian professionals. Over the years, it added corporate support and charitable giving in a point system that corporate America can strive to achieve. Otherwise, they are on a public list for all to see and boycott.
The War on Woke
Consumers’ Research Executive Director Will Hild wrote on the organization's homepage:
“At Consumers’ Research, we believe that corporations need to start serving their customers, not woke politicians. If you see companies who are going woke in order to distract from bad business practices or are engaging in political activity not aligned with their mission, we want to hear from you. You can confidentially share your story and help us continue to fight for our values.”
But is this what Consumers’ Research is about? In 1929, founder F.J. Schlink wanted to be a watchdog. He asked: “Who – or what – best serves the consumer?” At the time, few protection laws were in place. So, he threw himself into research and product testing and became the American buyer’s go-to.
Now, Schlink’s hard-fought reputation seems to have taken a direct detour away from helping people decide which car to buy and instead to warning conservative buyers of transgender people appearing in advertising campaigns. Regardless, here we are, and as Hild tweeted: “We believe that when brands go woke, you should be the first to know.”
