How Starbucks Uses Outrage to Make Millions
Every year, a simple cup release ends up turning into one of Starbucks’ biggest moments. The designs change, the debates flare up, and suddenly a piece of seasonal packaging becomes the internet’s favorite argument. What should be harmless holiday cheer often snowballs into think-pieces, viral posts, and cable-news chatter.
Even with all the noise, customers still line up for peppermint mochas, which makes it clear that controversy doesn’t actually chase anyone away. Instead, it seems to add energy to a moment Starbucks already owns each year.
Where The Noise Began
Image via Pexels/Josh Sorenson
For nearly two decades, Starbucks released holiday cups without anyone getting worked up. The early years featured hand-drawn holly, winter scenes, and simple patterns with red and white colors that conveyed a cheerful tone, signaling the season without being overly bold.
Everything changed in 2015 when the company introduced a plain red ombré cup, intended to be more inclusive. The design looked calm and polished, but one viral video by Joshua Feuerstein flipped the script by accusing Starbucks of removing Christmas from its branding. His post spread fast, sparking reactions from social media users, TV commentators, and even Donald Trump, who brought up the cup during a rally.
The uproar turned the cup into a nationwide conversation, yet it didn’t stop customers from drinking their usual lattes. During the last months of 2015, Starbucks’ U.S. sales rose 9%, which showed that people might argue online but still head to the counter when they want their seasonal fix.
A New Cup, A New Complaint
Starbucks didn’t back down after the 2015 reaction. Instead, it pushed forward with a wider range of designs in 2016, releasing fourteen cups that included user-submitted artwork from several countries. The company also introduced a green cup showing a continuous-line drawing of more than one hundred people, intended to symbolize unity. Some critics claimed it skipped religious imagery, and the complaints spread quickly across social media, yet customers continued buying drinks as usual.
Global and Americas store sales grew 3%, while net revenue rose 7%, proving once again that online outrage rarely reflects actual buying behavior. The cycle repeated in 2017 when Starbucks unveiled a mostly white cup decorated with wrapped gifts, ornaments, and two hands touching.
BuzzFeed highlighted comments suggesting the hands belonged to a lesbian couple, which soon caught the attention of conservative outlets. The hashtag #BoycottStarbucks started trending, and plenty of people posted videos announcing their frustration, but the store traffic didn’t slow down. That year, Starbucks reported a 2% sales increase in the Americas and hit $6.1 billion in global revenue.
Trying Festive, Still Getting Frenzy
By 2018, Starbucks seemed ready to avoid another political debate and introduced four cups with traditional holiday themes in red, green, and white. While the designs didn’t spark the same heated conversations, a different problem took over once the company offered free reusable red cups with early November holiday drink purchases.
Supplies vanished almost immediately, and frustrated customers filled Twitter with complaints. The conflict had nothing to do with the design that year. This time, people were upset because they wanted the cup and couldn’t get it.
Even then, Starbucks benefited from the attention. Customers who managed to grab the free cup returned for the afternoon discount, and those who missed out ended up buying the $2.50 version.
Why It Keeps Working
Starbucks doesn’t need to create outrage for it to work in its favor. The holiday cups naturally spark conversations, especially when people treat the designs like cultural statements instead of simple drink containers. The drama that builds around the cups becomes free publicity, and it pushes the brand into news cycles without spending extra marketing dollars.
Through it all, customers continue to show up, drinks keep selling, and the company continues to profit from the buzz. Starbucks may not seek chaos, but it has learned that in a world full of opinions, even a paper cup can help generate millions.