“Pro-Palestine” Crisis: Should Starbucks Be Blamed?
The Israel-Hamas conflict has influenced everywhere in the world, especially the United States. Therefore, not only business leaders but also their employees need to think twice before giving opinions related to this issue because they may be criticized for their statements and leading to a communication crisis for the whole business.
The loudest social media crisis came from Starbucks when Starbucks Workers United, representing more than 9,000 workers working at more than 360 coffee shops in the United States, tweeted “Solidarity with Palestine!” with an image of a bulldozer operated by Hamas tearing down the fence on the Gaza Strip in the attacks against Israel on October 9th. Although the post is no longer publicly visible on the account page, it has sparked calls to boycott Starbucks on social networks. The company received up to 1,000 complaints and suffered vandalism at stores.
How Starbucks handled it
Starbucks has handled the crisis by distancing itself from the union’s comments and stating: “We unequivocally condemn these acts of terrorism, hate and violence, and disagree with the statements and views expressed by Workers United and its members. Workers United’s words and actions belong to them, and they alone.” on October 11th.
On October 17th, Sara Kelly, Starbucks evp and chief partner officer issued an additional notice stating that Starbucks had requested Workers United to stop using the company name, logo and intellectual property as well as take corrective action immediately. However, the Workers United refused the company’s request, so Starbucks filed a lawsuit against the union in federal court for inflammatory and misleading information related to the union’s social media posts.
Positive or negative impacts?
Starbucks’ timely crisis management actions have helped protect its brand image from many different angles.
Damage control
Starbucks immediately filed a lawsuit against their union for pro-Palestinian social media posts right after the incident arose. This shows that Starbucks is serious about protecting its brand image and staying away from controversial posts.
Clear stance
In its statements after the incident, Starbucks said it did not support the position of its union. This could help the brand reassure customers who are upset by union postings.
However, these actions could also result in some potential negative effects:
Public perception
Some may argue that Starbucks’ lawsuit is an overreaction or a suppression of free speech. This could negatively affect Starbucks’ brand image.
Employee relations
A lawsuit against its worker union in federal court could strain company-employee relationships. This action might lead to the dissatisfaction among some customers and employees.
How Starbucks could have avoided it
Actually, Starbucks’ social media crisis this time about the Israel-Hamas conflict happened, so it was unavoidable, but Starbucks can implement some of the following methods to prevent similar crises from happening in the future.
Have clear regulations and staff training
Starbucks needs to have a code of conduct on how to handle questions and concerns related to conflict on the brand’s official social media sites. Then, they should train employees carefully on this code of conduct. This ensures that all employees in the company are fully equipped with knowledge on how to respond accurately and professionally to hot issues or customer-related issues.
Regularly monitor social networks
Starbucks needs to have a specialized department that regularly monitors and updates information and events on social media channels. This allows Starbucks to keep up with any changes and react quickly to any negative information related to the brand to prevent it from becoming a crisis or getting worse.
Make early announcements
If Starbucks decides its stance on any conflict, the brand should make announcements on its official pages early to prevent unexpected incidents from arising. These messages need to be written carefully to avoid offending the other side. This announcement should also demonstrate empathy for those affected by the conflict and emphasize that Starbucks stands by its commitment to customers and employees.
Whose fault
Social media crisis about the Israel-Hamas conflict originated from a pro-Palestinian social media post by the Workers United. This angered many customers and greatly affected the brand’s reputation. Although Starbucks sued the Worker United in federal court and expressed its opinion that Starbucks disagreed with its Union’s social media post. It is difficult to say whether this crisis is entirely the brand’s fault or caused by other circumstances.
In short, Starbucks has been facing a crisis when its Workers United posted a message supporting Palestine on X platform. Although Starbucks took timely steps to handle the crisis such as disagreeing with that message and criticized the Union as well as sued the Union in federal court, the company still suffers certain effects.
