The SaveDarfur.org group is running a chilling TV spot attacking Fidelity for their supposed investments in organizations that are directly or indirectly tied to genocide in Darfur. Do these kinds of attacks work? Depends who the targets are.
Special interest groups have become highly skilled in the manipulation of marketing managers – who are generally the gatekeepers when it comes to enterprise reputation. Most marketers have demonstrated a remarkable ability to fold at the slightest provocation – whether it be for fear of alienating customers, or the marketer personally being sympathetic to the cause and crafting a supportive enterprise response. So if their targets are marketing folks at Fidelity then yea, maybe, the campaign might be effective in pressuring Fidelity to divest.
But if the targets are Fidelity investors, who could also be or become SaveDarfur.org supporters and donors, then I think the ads may create a backlash. Instead of isolating and attempting to shame Fidelity investors they should be reaching out to recruit more support and to generate more positive awareness. But most importantly, I think the rhetoric on issues like Darfur, global warming, etc., has become so poisoned and biased, that efforts like this will be embraced by the true believers, and ignored or resented by the "undecideds" who are really the ones that need to be convinced.
So will the Fidelity attacks work? Probably not.
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