What Is a Black Coffee and Why Manner's Cup Campaign Sparked Backlash

Manner Coffee announced that from November 8, customers must buy a designated 75-yuan set in store to receive a stainless steel straw cup in a random color, and all three drinks in the set are extra-large hot beverages. Netizens called the threshold too high, saying three large hot drinks are hard to finish.

The reaction follows earlier complaints about Manner's travel cup, which users said leaked, discolored, and transferred heat. The new straw tumbler, shown in black, white, and emerald green, had been widely anticipated after teasers on the brand's social account. Manner has long relied on its bring-your-own-cup discount, so the promotion rules now carry more weight than the design.

Manner Coffee has always been the "cup mogul" of the coffee world, but its previous travel cup was heavily criticized for its looks and quality control. Recently, the brand finally teased a new cup, and the stylish design had netizens eagerly anticipating it. However, the activity rules officially announced this morning sparked huge controversy: starting November 8, only customers who buy a designated 75-yuan set in-store can get a stainless steel straw cup in a random color, and all three drinks in the set must be extra-large hot beverages. Many netizens said bluntly that "three cups is too much to finish" and "hot drinks are too cloying," believing the threshold for the promotion is too high. Manner has long attracted customers with its "bring your own cup and get five yuan off" campaign. Can this new cup marketing win back its reputation? Let's keep watching.

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Friends familiar with coffee brands must have heard of Manner, the "cup mogul of the coffee world," and its "ugly cups," right? The latest news is that it's finally going offline and getting replaced!

Searching the keyword on social platforms, there is simply no shortage of netizens complaining about Manner's previous travel cup—the colors were ugly, it leaked a lot, and it heated up too quickly. If you ask them, they just don't want it, and the poor quality left netizens saying they were disappointed!

Recently, however, some netizens noticed that the new cups are back with Manner's usual high aesthetic standards! Over the past two days, Manner Coffee's secondary Xiaohongshu account has posted several updates, teasing two upcoming cups. Judging from the images posted by the official account, one of the new cups appears to be a thermos with a silver-white surface and a blue handle, while the other is a tumbler with a straw. Because they look so good, the tumbler has already won widespread anticipation from netizens even before its full appearance has been revealed.

In the comments section, Manner staff also came out to tease, saying that boxes and boxes of cups had already arrived at stores. The actual tumblers come in three colors—pure black, pure white, and emerald green—each presenting a different style.

Afterward, some netizens also leaked the launch time of the new cups: "Word on the street is Wednesday, a nationwide promotion." But what kind of promotion it is remains unclear. Manner has done a pretty good job keeping the campaign secret.

As the campaign heated up, more and more netizens joined the discussion. Even Tesla owners came to "ride" the wave of attention, posting: "It feels like I got Manner's new cup in advance?" It turns out that Manner's new cup happens to look similar to the cups they redeemed with points. Some netizens said: "I've been using it for over a year in advance, works great... Tesla owners are far ahead."

News about the new cups has been spreading like wildfire, but in fact, even before netizens leaked it, Manner Coffee's official WeChat account had already posted a silhouette of the all-new straw cup in an October 30 tweet. It was just that at the time it didn't cause much of a stir, and everyone remained relatively rational before seeing the color photos.

The good news is that it happened this morning! Manner officially announced the cup giveaway time and campaign rules. Starting November 8, as long as you go to a store and buy the designated 75-yuan set, you can get a stainless steel straw cup in a random color. If you buy the straw cup separately, it costs 75 yuan. It should be noted that the three designated drinks in the set are all extra-large hot beverages.

Once the campaign was announced, netizens full of anticipation felt as if a bucket of cold water had been poured on them. The most controversial point is: you have to buy three cups, and they have to be extra-large, to get it. For people without a "coffee buddy," it is really hard to "chug" three big cups alone. "Exactly, three cups is such a waste—who can finish that? Don't eat or drink anything else all day, you'll almost throw up. Two cups would have been fine; make it three and everyone will be collectively sleepless."

Another complaint is that the designated drinks must be hot. When purchased separately in-store, both drinks can be made iced, so why does the set specifically require hot drinks? Some netizens said they couldn't accept it: "Designated drinks + extra-large + hot... times 3... just thinking about it makes me feel sick from cloyingness." "What? Such cloying coffee and it has to be hot? Fine, I give up."

Manner's new cup campaign whetted consumers' appetites with early teasers, but now it has drawn countless complaints. You could say that however much netizens looked forward to it before the announcement, that's how loudly they are "scolding" now. One netizen pointed out sharply: "I suggest brands let the public offer ideas online before every launch. Giving away cups was supposed to be a good thing, but now it gets cursed and still needs PR. This effect... it would have been better not to give them away at all!"

In fact, the reason Manner was able to develop into a "cup giveaway maniac" is largely related to its long-running "bring your own cup and get five yuan off" campaign. According to an incomplete review by relevant media, from June 2023 to now, in just over three months, Manner carried out more than 10 small-scale marketing actions, basically once a week, and most of the giveaways were cups. With a cup, you can bring your own cup to Manner for coffee, and so the cycle continues.

Success and failure both come from the same source. Manner Whether this wave of campaigns can win consumers' favor, and whether it will succeed or fail, we'll witness together next.

Image source: Internet

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The above content is compiled by CoffeeHunters, a coffee news website.