Battle of the Brands -- Pro & Anti War Sentiment Fuels Boycotts

USA Today reports on "a surge of anti-Americanism that threatens to erode the global dominance of American brands. ... Nike, Coca-Cola and McDonald's are just a few examples of U.S. companies that sell more than half their products abroad. Their value and the prices they can charge depend strongly on their brand image. And though Coke, Levi's, Budweiser and the like have nothing to do with the Bush administration's foreign policy, they become de facto targets for protesters lashing out at the USA's dominance. ... The same is true in the United States, where some people are pouring French wine down the drain and steering away from German Volkswagen cars... A recent survey showed that 47% of Americans were 'very' or 'somewhat' likely to substitute products made elsewhere for German products, according to the joint poll by the public relations firms of Wirthlin Worldwide and Fleishman-Hillard."

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