Article
Starbucks urges citizens to reflect, make good choices
Starbucks take full page ads in top newspapers to urge citizens to achieve balance between profitability and social impact.
March 24, 2016 by Judy Mottl — Editor, RetailCustomerExperience.com & DigitalSignageToday.com
Starbucks is gaining social media attention for a full-page inspirational ad appearing in two top national newspapers urging citizens to go beyond hate, to pause and reflect and make better choices every day and not just every four years.
"We believe in working to achieve balance between profitability and social impact. For Starbucks, that belief shapes our choices every day. And as citizens, our choices matter more now than ever," stated Starbucks in an intro to the ads appearing in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times today and tomorrow.
While some media pundits are viewing the simple word list ad (one column are negative phrases, second column are positive phrases) as a political statement, given it mentions the words candidates and party affiliations, many on social media seem are taking the message in a much more non-partisan way.
Starbucks explains the thinking behind the ad on their website.
"When you read the headlines. Or turn on the news. When you scroll through your social media feed. Or listen to the candidates. You could easily mistake America as a nation, lost. A people who have severed the common bonds that hold us together — compassion, respect, shared responsibility, a belief in service, a willingness to unite despite our differences.
"Today, for just a moment, we wanted to pause and reflect. To go beyond the hatred and vitriol, and see a different story of America.
"It’s a story that is not bound by party affiliations, or religious beliefs. It's not dependent on living in one zip code over another. It's not left-leaning or right-leaning. It's not about your income or your wealth.
"It lives in our small towns, and also in our cities. In the classroom of a teacher who is fighting for the potential in every student. You see it in the volunteer who mentors youth, and in those helping America's veterans successfully transition to civilian life. And in those who work to include, rather than discriminate. You see it in the leader who invests in her community. And in the nurse who treats the elderly with dignity. This is the story we believe in.
"This is not about the choice we make every four years. This is about the choices we make every single day."
According to a Fox News report, the messaging was initially mentioned during the company's annual shareholder meeting by CEO Howard Schultz.
There has been no official statement from Schultz regarding the upcoming presidential election and candidates battling for their party's nomination. Fox News noted Schultz supported Democratic President Barack Obama in both his races.
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