IT is not as if the threat to boycott, or an actual boycott of, a particular company is a new protest strategy. Even countries have boycotted events such as meetings, or even the Olympics, to show displeasure. The Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 was boycotted by 18 countries led by the then Soviet Union.

This was in retaliation against the boycott by 66 countries led by the United States of the 1980 Moscow Olympics, where the Philippines was one of the boycotting countries. And there were other Olympic boycotts that occurred aside from these two instances. When countries withdraw their diplomatic delegations, the action is practically a form of boycott.