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This is just one example of a growing trend, whereby protesters and activists are turning to the internet as quick, cheap
and effective way of reaching millions of people. Many of the web sites are primitive, but their message is clear and, for
some brands, dangerous. ‘Boycott’ and ‘ban’ are the two most common phrases used by many of theanti-brand sites.
Whereas a few years ago these messages were confined to pamphlets or placards, the web has given millions access to
the campaigns — and it seems that their corporate targets are unable or unwilling to act against them.

For almost three years, the McSpotlight site (http:/www.mcspotlight.org) has carried material ruled in 1997 to libel
McDonald's. Posted on the site is an exact copy of the leaflet, What's Wrong With McDonald's?, that provoked the fast-food
giant to successfully sue Helen Steel and Dave Morris, of London Greenpeace, for libel. Yet, despite spending an estimat-
ed £10m on the long-running ‘McLibel’ case, McDonald's has taken no action against McSpotlight for publishing the same
material on the internet, which can be downloaded and distributed. No one at the company was willing to outline its strat-
egy for dealing with internet protest or to explain how it plans to protect its brand in the future from similar web on-
slaughts.

McDonald's and Shell are not alone in being attacked in this way. Many large multinationals, including Procter & Gamble,
have had their names dragged through the online mud. But there are complex arguments about legal defenses and how
brand owners can fight the web agitators. Many opt for the head-in-the-sand approach, hoping that if they ignore it, it will
go away. But the sites are out there, and thousands of people see them every day. The internet has ceased to be a fringe
environment: Market Tracking International estimates there were 78 million internet users worldwide in 1998 and this will
grow to 180 million by 2002. In Europe, International Data Corporation estimates that 23 million people were using the in-
ternet in 1998 and that 83 million will do so in 2002. Datamonitor believes a third of European homes will have access to
the internet by 2003. Setting up a web site is easy and cheap. With the information available worldwide at the click of a
mouse, the impact can be huge — some protest sites receive a million visitors each month. Although it may not be the case
for much longer, publishing online has not generally faced the restrictions placed on traditional media, such as reporting
conventions, owners’ fear of litigation and a dependence on advertisers. Henley Centre consultant Chad Wollen has mon-
itored the rise of internet activism. He says: "Taking the US as the bellwether, it is something that's going to grow. “The
emergence of companies such as eWatch in the US confirms the phenomenon. Located at http://www.ewatch.com, it
tracks discussion taking place on the internet about major brands.

BA site takes off: Mikko Takala is webmaster of a site called no-way-ba.lochness.co.uk, set up to protest BA's year-old
move to replace its Inverness-Heathrow route with a flight out of Gatwick, a change campaigners believe is damaging to
the Highlands’ economy. "Doing it this way we have a greater chance," he explains. "The secret to online campaigning is
using a combination of the web and usenet [online discussion groups] to identify interested groups — in this case travel
and Scottish interest groups. It's not passive; you have to tell people that it's there." The site has received a lot of feed-
back, including from people working within airlines and airports, says Takala.

The McSpotlight site, run by supporters of the McLibel Two, went online in February 1996. It is run by volunteers in 22
countries, with mirror sites in four countries. It contains 20,000 files - most relating to McDonald's and the trial — and
claims more than a million visitors a month. In a ‘Beyond McD's’ section, it targets other corporations to focus on their
business practices. These include Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, Boots the Chemist, Philip Morris, BAT, Nestlé, Cow & Gate,
Milupa, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, SmithKline Beecham, Colgate-Palmolive and Shell. The internet has added an extra
dimension for activists, says Dan Mills, spokesman for the McLibel Support Campaign. "Generally in campaigning groups
the internet and e-mail have become much more important. It's now standard, but when McSpotlight started it was new and
an inspiration for others.” Given the experience of Steel and Morris, McSpotlight’s actions may seem foolhardy. According
to Mills: "When McSpotlight went up, the idea was that if McDonald's was able to get the site closed down it would con-
tinue through mirror sites and a McSpotlight Kit. But as a result of the trial McDonald's was effectively stymied — it would
have been a disaster to do anything more." Nor has BA taken steps against Takala's site. “They haven't taken action be-
cause | don't think we've done anything libellous," he says. As a campaigning tool, Wollen says the internet has “been
most effective when the consumer has had a legitimate case and then the company can't use PR to get out of it”.

Shell has taken a similar line. While it acknowledges it is targeted on the internet, a spokesman said it monitors the situ-