Boycott Brand America is the 2003 campaign created by Adbusters in response to the March 2003 offensive against Iraq led by America.1
The campaign hinges on an idea that "America", to the world, is not only a political entity or an island of affluent individuals, but also a collection of corporate brands and even a brand itself.
Some interpret this as an attack on Corporate America- as an attempt to clamp down on its nipples by a refusal of consumption in both domestic and international markets. It is hoped this action and its repercussions will reach people close to policy makers in a language they can easily understand
What is more interesting, is the extended implications of pushing away "America" as a brand. On the adbusters website, www.adbusters.org, people are not only suggesting the cessation of media and product consumption, but also boycotting other, more subtle aspects of cultural broadcast such as:
and the idea I found most interesting...
- Boycotting American spelling and slang by:
- Changing spell-checker settings from US to UK English.
- Changing how English is taught by ESL teachers around the world (currently American English predominates Asia and other regions).
Some contributers to the project suggested focusing on the vested interests of the politician's own families:
But I would add, influencing the sharemarket price of oil company's and defense contractor's stock is not an easy option for most protesters
1With military support from Australia and the UK to lend some sense of international cooperation