Case Study: Tragic Kingdom? The Southern Baptist Convention Boycott of Walt Disney

Abstract

In July 1998 the Walt Disney Company found itself embroiled in the midst of a consumer boycott spearheaded by the 16 million-member Southern Baptist Convention and supported by dozens of other organizations. With hard questions being asked regarding some elements of company performance, CEO Michael Eisner had to determine if the organization’s minimalist response to the boycott was effective or whether a new strategy was required. The narrative seeks to examine the impact of stakeholder opinion and action on the performance of a large publicly held corporation, and specifically tactical responses to the threat (and initiation) of consumer boycott activity.