Dunkin Donuts found itself in the middle of an internet storm recently. Boycott Dunkin Donuts was trending on the social media X (formerly Twitter). It was number one in the Food category.
Dunkin Donuts is a worldwide coffee and doughnut chain headquartered in the United States. The boycott call came from within the United States and gained traction quickly.
The hashtag trended on Wednesday and many people were using it. People in favour of the boycott and those opposing it were using this hashtag. So, what led to this frenzy? Let us see what started this boycott call.
Reason Behind Boycott Dunkin Donuts
The Boycott Dunkin Donuts trend started when the Chief Operating Officer of Rumble shared some tweets. Rumble is a video-sharing platform. Chris Pavlovski is the Founder and CEO of Rumble. Chris Pavlovski had reached out to Dunkin Donuts for advertising on Rumble. He shared part of some images that were supposedly email responses from Dunkin Donuts
He claimed that Dunkin Donuts did not want to advertise on Rumble as long as Mr. Steven Crowder was a part of the platform. He further said that Dunkin Donuts mentioned that they did not want to be a part of a right-wing platform. Dunkin Donuts feels the platform Rumble is polarising. It is unsustainable for a brand.
Dunkin Donuts further said that they wanted to continue discussions as Rumble evolves further in the future. He alludes that Dunkin Donuts does not want Steven Crowder’s podcast to continue on Rumble. Chris Pavlovski replied to Dunkin Donuts that Rumble does not discriminate and that all cultures are welcome.
How did Boycott Dunkin Donuts start?
Chris Pavlovski’s tweets struck a raw nerve amongst his supporters. One of his supporters responded to Chris Pavlovski’s tweets. He is Catturd, a prominent American Conservative supporter. He has over 2.7 million supporters on X. He tweeted many times after Mr. Pavlovski’s tweets saying it was enough. He said that “ these woke companies think they have power over us.” He pushed for a Boycott Dunkin Donuts.
Supporters of Rumble and MAGA influencers took up this hashtag. The hashtag gained traction and was soon trending at number 1. The hashtag trended for two days after which it lost traction. Cattard tweeted, “We see you Dunkin’ Donuts,” he wrote. “There’s zero chance we’ll ever spend a dime with you again.” Implying that Dunkin Donuts perhaps had a hand in getting the #BoycottdunkinDonuts off the trending topics.
Supporters of Boycott Dunkin Donuts
Supporters started tweeting after Mr Cattard called for a Boycott Dunkin Donuts. Some tweets said,
“Boycott them. We have to stick together.”
“Time to give Dunkin’ Donuts the Bud Light treatment. Go Woke, Go Broke.”
“Disgusting. Why treat people on the right as if they are some type of virus that must be avoided.”
MAGA Influencers Show Their Clout
MAGA influencers supported the call to Boycott Dunkin Donuts. Earlier, they had supported the call to boycott Budlight. The beer brand collaborated with a transgender social media influencer to promote a contest. The strategy backfired and many conservatives called for a boycott of the brand. The brand suffered losses and fell to the third position from the first. It is still looking to bounce back even a year after the controversy.
It is a significant loss to the brand. It shows that MAGA influencers hold sufficient clout to make a sizeable dent in a brand’s business. Their support for the boycott against Dunkin Donuts can have far-reaching consequences.
Who is Steven Crowder?
Boycott Dunkin Donuts started because Dunkin Donuts objected to Steven Crowder on Rumble. Steven Crowder is a Conservative political commentator. He hosts the podcast “ Louder with Crowder” on Rumble. He moved from YouTube to Rumble after running into problems with the company. His channel was repeatedly demonetised. He faced suspension for going against the platform’s community guidelines.
He made the move to Rumble. His podcast is currently the number one conservative show on Rumble. Chris Pavlovski mentioned that Dunkin Donuts does not want to associate with Rumble as long as Steven Crowder is on the platform. Chris Pavlovski mentioned that his platform does not discriminate. Everyone was welcome irrespective of their political leanings.
Boycott Dunkin Donuts, Politics and Society
The recent trend of Boycott Dunkin Donuts brings forth the difficult landscape of today’s society.
Society has fragmented into various groups with different political, social, personal and moral identities. It is difficult for brands to navigate this scenario. A campaign supporting one view often ends up alienating others.
A lot of brands have faced problems because of this recently. Pepsi, Adidas, Starbucks and Bud Light to name a few. Some like Pepsi, manage to recuperate losses quickly while others like Bud Light languish. It is a tightrope for brands navigating this social framework. They have to tread cautiously. Dunkin Donuts has waded into a similar controversy. The effects on their bottom line remain to be seen.
Summary
The recent trending #BoycottDunkin Donuts brings forth the marketing challenges of brands today. This controversy erupted when Chris Pavlovski shared screenshots of emails sent to him by Dunkin Donuts. They were responding to Mr. Pavlovski’s request for advertising on his platform, Rumble. According to Mr.Pavlovski, Dunkin Donuts did not want to advertise on Rumble.
This decision was due to the presence of Conservative personalities like Steven Crowder on his platform. Dunkin Donuts feels it will not be sustainable for the brand’s image to be associated with conservatives. This led to an uproar. The Conservatives did not want to support Dunkin Donuts after this. A prominent Conservative influencer Cattart called for its boycott and it started trending soon after.
