Goya Products Boycott Call on Social Media
Social media is a powerful tool of communication that has the capacity to build or destroy the reputation of companies. The marketing of the brand of products that are offered by companies tends to be effective when the social media platforms’ reviews are positive. Goya Foods, Inc is a renowned American company that produces food products that are consumed by people of Hispanic origin. The company sells its food products in the United States of America and other countries in Europe and around the globe. The company also has a wide range of plants that are located in Puerto Rico, the United States of America, and the Dominican Republic. The company has been successful due to the good quality of its products and a strategic marketing company that has created a formidable image and brand that is the envy of its competitors. Goya’s Chief Executive Officer Robert Unanue put the company’s reputation on the line by praising President Trump recently. The CEO stated that the country is, “blessed to have Trump as the President of the United States of America” (Nierenberg). His statement did not go down well with the people from across the United States of America who view Trump as a racist and misogynist person who should not be reelected. Social media was ablaze with calls for a boycott for the products offered by Goya Food, Inc.
Damaged Reputation
The Goya Products brand’s reputation is in dispute because the public views it as being headed by a CEO who supports a president who has a bad reputation and does not support the fight against racial abuses that have targeted the people of Black racial backgrounds or the African Americans. The management of the company is grappling with the situation where its reputation is being put on the line through a concerted negative social media company that can lead to plummeting of its market share in the United States of America and Latin America. Racial discrimination in the United States of America is a serious issue that cannot be taken lightly given the prospects of a looming change that can sweep those who want or seem to maintain the status quo that stands for the killing of the Black Americans through police brutality (Barker et al.). The management of the company has decided to continue with their daily activities of selling products on the shelves of stores and supermarkets. The effect of the social media hashtags on twitter and other social media accounts (#Goyaway and #BoycottGoya) will be felt by the company as the sales are bound to dwindle in the long run.
The Strategic Marketing Team Need to Set the record straight that the company does not support racial discrimination in the US.
I believe that the management of the company should have reacted differently by apologizing and setting the record straight that the comments made by the CEO were his personal opinion and does not represent the view of the company. This would tone down the anger of social media users as they would relent on their attacks that started on 9th July 2020.
The management of the company is trying to save the situation by not engaging in politics. Politics can change the brand image of any business especially if it produces a negative public view. The name of the company has been soiled by being associated with racism and bad or unethical leadership thus leading to obvious repercussions such as low sales and negative brand image that seriously affects the overall outcome of the profitability of the company in the long. The long term effect of the social media attacks on the company and its products is still not assessable but there are reasons to believe that the social media users might tone down their rhetoric and give the company a breathing space that may allow it to restore its image.
