The consumer awakes

When the French farmer and anti-globalization activist, José Bové, was put on trial in 2000 for ramming his tractor into a McDonald’s the general response was largely one of humour and ambivalence. While the case was difficult for the hamburger company, it managed the situation relatively well. However, McDonald’s suffered a public relations disaster in the 1990s when it took a couple of penniless British vegetarians to court in its McLibel case. Campaigners from several hundred NGOs launched an international day of action against Exxon in July 2001 to highlight the oil company’s stance on issues ranging from climate change to human rights. Protesters targeted offices and petrol stations around the world and placed advertisements in national newspapers featuring a photograph of US president George W Bush with the headline ‘Esso ate my brain’.