![]() After its partnership with Colin Kaepernick, conservatives across the country declared they would boycott the company, with many filming and posting footage of them burning or trashing their Nike products. In today’s hot cultural climate, brands that take a stance on any issue risk alienating a subset of customers, but this doesn’t mean you should simply sell products and stay quiet on everything else. The controversy surrounding the 2015 holiday cups reminds us that Starbucks isn’t just a place where you get your coffee - supporting the chain is a reflection of your values, ideology, and politics. In case you were wondering, sales during that holiday season weren’t impacted at all, suggesting the outrage was mainly performative. It was meant to simply be a celebration of simplicity, reiterating that “creating a culture of belonging, inclusion, and diversity is one of the core values of Starbucks.” Starbucks immediately released a statement that explained how the cup had nothing to do with purging Christmas. It was a wise choice: Starbucks customers have grown increasingly diverse over the years - and not all of them celebrated Christmas.Ī small, outspoken group of Christians and conservatives were outraged by the design, launching a tirade about Starbucks stoking the “ war on Christmas” - a message which various politicians and media outlets further amplified. “This year, we wanted to usher in the holidays with a purity of design that welcomes all of our stories.” “In the past, we have told stories with our holiday cup designs,” Starbucks’ VP of design and content Jeffrey Fields said in that year’s cup statement. Setting the stage for the dozens of holiday cups to come, the first design included swirls, holly leaves, and coffee beans. The company unveiled its first holiday cup in 1997 - you may be surprised to learn that it wasn’t in the iconic Starbucks holiday red color but of a more magenta hue. While the Starbucks holiday season has, in recent years, been embroiled in political controversy (more on this later), its roots are as innocuous as they can be: a marketing campaign aimed at spreading festive delight and cheer. ![]() No, not for the leaves to change color, but instead for Starbucks to replace its usual white-and-green cups with merry holiday designs.īut how did our cultural obsession with Starbucks’ festive red cup get started? And what holiday season marketing tricks can brands learn from this coffee giant? Brew yourself a cup of joe, and let’s dive in. Can you smell the intoxicating aromas of peppermint mochas and chestnut praline lattes in the air? Every year, coffee lovers worldwide eagerly await a seasonal transition.
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