Starbucks India stirred controversy and faced calls for boycotts following the release of a commercial set in India that sparked objections, particularly from the right-wing community. The company drew criticism for its latest promotional campaign, which portrayed parents meeting their transgender daughter at a Starbucks outlet.
In the video, a father initially grapples with accepting his daughter’s transition but eventually embraces it by ordering a drink for her under her new name. Starbucks India shared the video on Twitter with the caption, “Your name defines who you are – whether it’s Arpit or Arpita. At Starbucks, we love and accept you for who you are. Because being yourself means everything to us. #ItStartsWithYourName.”
The advertisement faced significant backlash, with political commentator Rukshan Fernando tweeting, “Starbucks facing backlash in India after adopting a full Bud Light approach. Introducing a mediocre US coffee brand to the market wasn’t bad enough; now they bring their woke corporate culture to the Subcontinent.”
In Starbucks India’s comment section, one user expressed dismay, stating, “It’s deeply concerning to witness the rapid erosion of cultural identity in our era. Certain liberal forces persistently normalize practices that seem to undermine our cherished traditions and values.”
Another user questioned Starbucks India’s marketing approach, commenting, “I’m a huge Starbucks fan and spend thousands of rupees in their coffee shops annually. But I can’t comprehend why @StarbucksIndia would launch a woke campaign under the guise of advertising? Can’t they just promote their coffee and service in India?”
A different comment criticized the promotion of what they deemed “immoral values,” asserting, “What are you promoting @Starbucks… Don’t endorse such cultural shifts… We don’t need any lessons on accepting such immoral values… We are Bharatvasis, and we take pride in our civilization.”
“I don’t understand why brands do this… these ads alienate huge portions of the population. Whatever happened to common-sense advertising? Videos like this alienate more customers than they attract. Literally wasting advertising dollars just to virtue signal,” expressed another disgruntled individual.
Watch the controversial ad here:
America has exported woke culture all around the globe, and Starbucks India just provided yet another example of this phenomenon. Since the end of World War II, the United States has been the global hegemon of liberalism, and many other nations have sought to mimic its cuIture.
Breaking : Victoria’s Secret Crashed Hard After Replacing “Angels” With Woke Megan Rapinoe!
When will companies Iearn that going woke isn’t a great idea, as it means that they’ll go broke sooner rather than later, or at least see their stocks and fortunes plummet? Not soon enough to not shoot themselves in the foot financially, apparentIy, as Victoria’s Secret just made the same woke mistake as innumerable companies before it and made a very bad business move rooted in wokeness.
What did it do? It replaced its astoundingly attractive “angels” with the woke, pink-haired, America-bashing soccer player Megan Rapinoe and a slew of “plus size” models.
That might have sounded great in a boardroom full of people sipping soy lattes and chowing down on kale chips, but most American women, when they buy Iingerie, don’t want to look like “plus size” models or Megan Rapinoe.
And so Victoria’s Secret stock has tumbled dramatically and the company has had to fire a slew of executives as its financial fortunes have soured, as the New York Post reported, saying, in a July of 2022 post, that the lingerie giant’s shares crashed to $26.80 and that it had Iaid off 160 management employees from its headquarters in Ohio, about 5% of its home office headcount.
That stock crash problem has continued for the brand, as the Iingerie giant’s stock is, as of the time this article was updated (January 12, 2024), just $24.23. When 2022 began, it’s stock price was still over $56, and the crash began in February of that year and has more or less continued since.
In any case, why might the stock crash have happened and the firings have been necessary? Well the NYP hints at the same issues mentioned above, saying (emphasis added), “Now it offers plus sizes and features plus-size models in its marketing as well as selling masectomy bras for the first time. It also Iaunched its first-ever Mother’s Day campaign last year.
Its stores are brighter and it’s championing more causes highlighting women’s achievements, tapping famous athletes Iike Megan Rapinoe and actress Priyanka Chopra Jonas to represent the brand.
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