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“Not Buying Cottage Cheese”: Motivations for Consumer Protest-the Case of the 2011 Protest in Israel

Journal of Consumer Policy volume 40, pages 473–484 (2017)Cite this article

Abstract

The 2011 Israeli consumer protest was groundbreaking: It enjoyed mass public support and had dramatic influence on the behaviour of Israeli companies and consumers alike. Most observers view this protest as a reaction to economic inequality in Israeli society, the increased cost of living, and public antipathy towards large businesses and the wealthy elite controlling them. However, this overlooks the wider political and cultural context: the decline in traditional political participation and the growing “openness” of brands to consumers, which can be referred to as the “prosumption turn.” By specifically analyzing the 2011 consumer protest against Israeli dairy companies, this article demonstrates how motivations for a consumerist act (boycott or buycott) can be linked to a broader, indirect context.

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Notes

  1. See for example: “Innovation Jams” by IBM (2016); Dell and Nike’s use of consumers for designing computers and shoes (respectively) (June 2008); Audi’s suggestion that the “crowd” should participate in the design of its future cars (Warren 2009); and Lego’s usage of consumers in its game design (Sharp and Salomon 2008).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Security Studies MA Program, Department of Political Science, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 6997801, Tel-Aviv, Israel

    Shay Hershkovitz

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  1. Shay Hershkovitz
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Correspondence to Shay Hershkovitz.

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Hershkovitz, S. “Not Buying Cottage Cheese”: Motivations for Consumer Protest-the Case of the 2011 Protest in Israel. J Consum Policy 40, 473–484 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-017-9340-5

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