Major corporations exercise enormous control over our lives. They influence how we think, what we buy, who we vote for, and how our society evolves. They are key drivers of the wealth that fuels our economic system, and their power insulates them from strict government regulations and accountability. In this setting, corporate abuses鈥攑ollution, toxic and inhumane work environments, defective products鈥攇o unchecked. When the government refuses to corral industry鈥檚 misdeeds, advocacy groups turn to corporate campaigns to expose and change harmful behavior.
Reining in the Bulls is the first comprehensive resource for professionals of nongovernmental organizations who want to understand, plan, and execute modern corporate campaigns. Michael Marx is a pioneer in this field and has led multiple high-profile campaigns, pressuring companies that were harming workers, communities, and the natural environment. He draws from his and other campaign experts鈥� experience to highlight lessons from both US and international campaigns. Corporate campaigns are unique in that they require knowing how to pressure branded companies and understanding their inner workings to strategically target that pressure.
The need for a comprehensive guide is growing. Few advocacy professionals receive training on how to conduct these campaigns effectively. Even those who have worked on corporate campaigns for a while need to evolve their strategies to incorporate advances in social media and the threats posed by new industries, such as AI. There is an urgent need to curb the destructive behavior of corporations, and this book gives advocates a powerful tool for holding companies accountable and protecting our social and environmental well-being.
Michael Marx is an internationally respected environmental corporate campaign director and founder of Corporate Ethics International. In the last 30 years, he has led some of the largest campaigns targeting companies like Mitsubishi, Home Depot, Walmart, and Exxon/Mobil. Over his career, he has designed campaigns for the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, Pew Charitable Trust, ClimateWorks, and Hewlett Foundation. He was co-founder and executive director of ForestEthics (now Stand.earth) and previously served as a campaign director at Rainforest Action Network and the Sierra Club.
"An invaluable account from an unimpeachable source of some of the most crucial activism underway in the world today. Read it and then change the world!"—Bill McKibben, author of Here Comes the Sun and founder of 350.org
“This is an invaluable guide for anyone who is alarmed by corporate wrongdoing and doesn’t know what to do. Step one is to read this book.”—Annie Leonard, coauthor of Protest: Respect It, Defend It, Use It and former executive director of Greenpeace US
“Very few people understand the mechanics of running a successful corporate campaign as intimately as Michael Marx. Reining in the Bulls offers an important look under the hood of the machinery that powers these efforts.”—Rashad Robinson, civil rights leader and author of From Presence to Power: How to Take on the Fights That Matter and Win
“Don’t wait for permission to challenge and change corporate behavior. From one of the most respected and effective corporate campaigners, Reining in the Bulls provides the strategic blueprint you need to turn corporate giants into your strongest allies in your fight for people and planet. What a gift for activists and corporate insiders everywhere!”—Michael Brune, CEO of Clean Break Fund
“Corporate campaigns are essential to save lives, advance economic and environmental justice, and hold powerful actors accountable. This guidebook could not come at a more critical moment for building effective, inclusive, values-driven movements for transformative social change.”—Kathy Mulvey, climate accountability campaign director of the Union of Concerned Scientists
“For decades, Michael Marx has inspired and led some of the most important global and local campaigns against abuses of corporate power. Reining in the Bulls is a vital primer and essential resource for campaigners, concerned citizens, and communities defending themselves from corporations working to crush workers, loot the commons, pollute the environment, and plunder our economy.”—Chuck Collins, author of Burned by Billionaires: How Concentrated Wealth and Power Are Ruining Our Lives and Planet
“If you want to learn how to make corporations more socially and environmentally responsible, Michael Marx’s groundbreaking book, Reining in the Bulls, is your chance to learn how to do that from one of the best corporate campaigners ever.”—Todd Paglia, executive director of Stand.earth
“Michael Marx knows as much as anyone about conducting corporate campaigns to advance social justice. With Reining in the Bulls, you get to step into his brain and absorb his decades of experience, strategic brilliance, and wisdom. In crystal-clear prose, he helps you understand how to design and implement winning corporate campaigns, from launch to conclusion; and he shares the rewards (and challenges) for those who choose to advance justice through corporate campaigning.”—Robert Weissman, copresident of Public Citizen
