Why did Starbucks bar filming crews from saying Made in China?
A Xi'an group-buying video creator said that after passing Starbucks' national talent scout recruitment, the shooting brief for a September 16 promotion of two cups at 39.9 yuan barred any mention of 'Made in China' or 'Chinese coffee.' Several creators left the WeChat group in protest, and Starbucks said it was verifying the matter.
Staff in the group explained that the aim was to keep the spotlight on coffee itself rather than on patriotic sentiment, which they said would draw more attention. The episode has fed an ongoing discussion among drinkers about is starbucks specialty coffee and how global brands handle local messaging in China.
Recently, a Xi'an group-buying video creator exposed that after participating in Starbucks' national talent scout recruitment and being successfully selected, they were asked to shoot a video for the 39.9 two-cup promotion launching on September 16. However, the shooting requirements posted in the group explicitly stated: "Refuse to mention any messaging related to 'Made in China' or 'Chinese coffee.'" This requirement sparked dissatisfaction among many video creators, with several choosing to leave the group in protest. Starbucks responded that it is verifying the matter, but as of press time, no clear answer has been given. The incident continues to ferment on social media, with netizens generally feeling confused. Front Street Coffee continues to follow coffee industry developments and brings you the latest report.
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According to Huashang Daily, on September 14, a Xi'an group-buying video creator noticed that Starbucks was running a national talent scout recruitment campaign, so they signed up and successfully passed the audition. After joining the WeChat group for discussing shooting details, they prepared to shoot the video for Starbucks' 39.9 yuan two-cup promotion launching on September 16 as required.
The WeChat group was named "Sister Shier Level 5 Group 4 Starbucks 9.16 Execution," and the shooting guidelines for promotional videos were posted in the group. Article 4 explicitly stated: It is prohibited to mention any messaging related to "Made in China" or "Chinese coffee."
This video creator revealed that this was a requirement put forward by the staff member in the group responsible for reviewing videos. Apart from this group, several other groups also posted the same content, and everyone felt very angry upon seeing it. In one of the groups, a video creator questioned: "Sorry, this is something I cannot understand! I give up shooting this project! In my own country, not being allowed to mention my country—I cannot accept that."
In response, the staff member who posted the shooting requirements explained, "Because we just want to focus the spotlight on coffee. Mentioning 'Made in China' would definitely generate higher traction—everyone has patriotic feelings—but we want to put the focus on coffee itself."
However, many video creators did not buy the claim of "just wanting to put the focus on coffee," and they chose to leave the group one after another, refusing to participate in this shooting activity. Despite having left the group, the creator who posted this message still felt very puzzled. Originally, this was just a routine shooting activity, and when they were filming at the store, they did not see any words like "Made in China" or "Chinese coffee." Yet such a requirement was arbitrarily added, which made everyone quite resentful.
On Weibo and other social media platforms, the incident also attracted public attention and heated discussion after being posted.
Regarding the messaging rules posted by the reviewer, many netizens found it baffling. Starbucks (products) originally have little to do with "Made in China," and there should be no occasion during promotion to mention such words, so why was there such a requirement?
In response to this matter, a Huashang Daily reporter called the Starbucks China membership and store service hotline on the afternoon of September 16. The staff member said that relevant verification work is currently underway, and the specific situation will be forwarded to the relevant person in charge as soon as possible. Follow-up responses on this matter will also be made by responsible personnel, but no exact time for a reply could be given. As of press time, Starbucks official has still not responded to this matter.
Image source: Huashang Daily
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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.
