Starbucks staff forced to have 'history training' following backlash to controversial ad
Starbucks Korea is set to shutter more than 2,000 stores next week after sparking backlash with its controversial ‘Tank Day’ merchandise campaign.
On 22 June, tourists and locals alike will have to grab their caffeine fix before 3pm or seek out rival chains as bosses announced all staff will take part in a mandatory history lesson and engage in ‘social sensitivity training’.
The decision, which will apparently cost the American coffeehouse an estimated 2.1bn won ($1.4m) in lost sales, comes amid public outrage following the launch of a ‘Tank’ tumbler.
The Starbucks-branded beaker was promoted on 18 May, the anniversary of a 1980 massacre in Gwangju.
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The tragedy saw South Korea’s former military dictatorship kill activists using troops and tanks.
The ‘Tank’ tumbler was shared alongside the controversial slogan ‘thwack it on the table’, which many perceived as a reference to an attempted police cover-up of the death and torture of student activist, Park Jong-chol, in 1987.
At the time, law enforcement claimed the campaigner had suddenly died after investigators had ‘hit the desk with a thwack’.
The ‘Tank Day’ promotion - pulled within hours - led to nationwide boycotts and government ministries cutting ties with the popular food and beverage chain.
Next week, Chung Yong-jin, the billionaire chair of Shinsegae Group who apologised for the campaign, will take part in the same training exercise days on 24 June, as per The Guardian.
He will be joined by other executives, with the curriculum covering Korean history. Information on how marketers should take historical and social sensitivities seriously before making decisions is set to be relayed.
The ‘Tank Day’ campaign, described as a ‘malicious mockery’ by the Gwangju-Jeonnam Memorial Coalition, was slammed by South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, who said he was ‘engraged’ by the advert.
He added that it was ‘inhumane and disgraceful behaviour by cheap profiteers’.
Starbucks said it was ‘deeply sorry for an unacceptable marketing incident’, remarking that it ‘should never have happened’.
Following the backlash, Starbucks’ Seattle headquarters sent a written apology directly to the May 18 Foundation, one of the main bodies representing Gwangju victims.
The response was delivered after the foundation wrote to the company demanding a formal statement.
An internal investigation has taken place following the advert, with researchers suggesting there was no evidence of deliberate intent.
Police are still probing the case, with Chung and former chief executive, Son Jung-hyun, being registered as criminal suspects by Seoul police.
Jeon Sangjin, a senior Shinsegae Group executive, said the company would fire any employee who was found to have intended to ridicule protesters once the police inquiry had concluded.
It’s understood that Starbucks Korea stores will reopen as normal on 23 June.
Ella Scott