Starbucks. The comfort and consistency that many college students need in their life. It is there for the long days and the late nights. The face on the cup is an old, familiar friend to many of us.
Come holiday season, the coffee hub is known for its traditionally red cups. This year, it threw us for a loop. On Tuesday this week, Starbucks released a new, green cup. However, it was not created for the holidays. It was created for election season.
There is no longer only one face on the cup, but many. They are drawn with a single line, connecting them all together, with the hope to create a sense of unity in a time that America is so divided. Similar to last year’s plain red holiday cup, this green cup is receiving a lot of criticism. Instead of bringing people together, it is being accused of “political brainwashing”, “liberal bias”, and even “a sign of terrorism”.
Starbucks sent out a press release this week in hopes to calm the outrage among Americans. CEO of Starbucks, Howard Schultz, gave confirmation of what the green cup stands for.
“The green cup and the design represent the connections Starbucks has as a community with its partners (employees) and customers. During a divisive time in our country, Starbucks wanted to create a symbol of unity as a reminder of our shared values, and the need to be good to each other.”
It is impressive that Starbucks has the ability to create such large messages by the design on its cups, and the fact that it is doing so says more about the company than most others at this time.