What’s interesting to me about this story is that while I think it’s important to hold corporations accountable for their treatment of African-Americans, it’s important to do it in a way that doesn’t give any perception of quid pro quo/you scratch mines and I’ll scratch yours. Ultimately that can weaken the strength of any type of consumer action and frankly there are other actions available outside of boycotts.

This story also says something about the increasing power of the black consumer and corporate desire to maintain strong brands with us.

From the NY Post:

Anheuser-Busch gave him six figures, Colgate-Palmolive shelled out $50,000 and Macy’s and Pfizer have contributed thousands to the Rev. Al Sharpton’s charity.

Almost 50 companies – including PepsiCo, General Motors, Wal-Mart, FedEx, Continental Airlines, Johnson & Johnson and Chase – and some labor unions sponsored Sharpton’s National Action Network annual conference in April.

Terrified of negative publicity, fearful of a consumer boycott or eager to make nice with the civil-rights activist, CEOs write checks, critics say, to NAN and Sharpton – who brandishes the buying power of African-American consumers. In some cases, they hire him as a consultant.

The cash flows even as the US Attorney’s Office in Brooklyn has been conducting a grand-jury investigation of NAN’s finances.

New Yorkers — you know the Reverend Al better than me. What’s this story really about and what are your thoughts about the National Action Network (which btw has a jacked up website – they need to spend some of that corporate moolah updating their online flow)?

Related Posts with Thumbnails