Abstract

The case “The #BoycottGoya Trend: Does Social Media Cancel Culture Have an Impact on Business?” discusses the possible impact that a negative social media campaign can have on a company’s prospects. The case starts with a brief look at the history of Goya Foods, Inc. (Goya), which was touted to be the largest Hispanic-owned food company in the US. It then delves into the reasons surrounding the trending of #BoycottGoya and #Goyaway on Twitter. The campaigns began after Goya’s CEO Robert Unanue (Unanue) praised Donald Trump (Trump), the then US President – who was alleged to be anti-Latino, by certain sections of the US population. The case then documents the basis for the opposing social media campaign that was started by supporters of Trump for Goya with the hashtag #BuyGoya, wherein people were encouraged to buy Goya products. The case presents the points of view of people on both sides of the divide and mentions how the #BoycottGoya campaign blew up into a political tug of war between the two prominent political parties in the US. It also discusses the responsibilities of top management and the response strategies to be undertaken by the Board of Directors (BOD) in handling social media crises. Can the political opinions of a CEO ultimately have an impact on a company’s prospects?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the various risks to corporate reputation from social media
• Scrutinize how a social media clash of opinions could quickly blow up into a political battle
• Examine the role of the Board of Directors (BOD) in handling instances of top management misdemeanors
• Analyze the impact of negative social media campaigns on business prospects
• List the various response strategies of companies to social media risks

Keywords

Social Media; Reputation Management; Response Strategies; Board of Directors; Management Control; Social Media Risks; Corporate Communications; Public Relations; Top Management Misbehavior; Social Media Boycott; Impact of Political Issues; Minority Groups; Twitter Storm; Cancel Culture; Communications Strategy