Can Coffee Get You High? What the Starbucks Tencent Emoji Cup Shows

Starbucks and Tencent released a limited-edition cold cup printed with classic chat emojis. The single large smiley face at the top of the set was read by many young customers as passive-aggressive, and some delivery recipients wondered whether the brand was mocking them. The cup, nicknamed the passive-aggressive cup, still sold well among office workers.

Five designs were used: smile, grin, cool, laugh-cry and heart. The designers chose emojis common in online chats to tie the cup to Tencent, but those symbols have drifted from their original meanings. The episode shows how quickly an emoji can change what a product communicates, and how that shift can turn into free publicity.

Recently, Starbucks and Tencent launched a limited-edition cold cup featuring several classic chat emojis printed on its surface as part of a creative design tied to the collaboration theme. However, some emojis, due to their multiple meanings in today's online context, ended up causing misunderstandings among customers. The smiley face in particular, which tops the emoji list, was interpreted by many young netizens as "passive-aggressive" or "a smile that doesn't reach the eyes." Some customers who received their delivery even wondered if Starbucks was subtly throwing shade at them. Yet this limited-edition cup, jokingly dubbed the "passive-aggressive cup," unexpectedly became a hit item for office workers to express their workday moods, with some even specifically requesting it in their order notes. Is this controversy sparked by emojis a branding misstep, or did it precisely strike a chord with office workers' emotions? Let's find out.

▲

Click to follow | Daily specialty coffee culture magazine Coffee Workshop

When chatting on a social app, if the other person sends you a smiley face emoji, what's the first thought that pops into your head?

Yesterday, a customer received a Starbucks delivery and, as usual, took the drink out of the bag. But the cup in front of him was printed with a yellow emoji, which made him freeze for a moment, unable to resist wondering what Starbucks was trying to convey.

The post quickly drew netizens' attention. With help from some kind souls, the customer eventually realized he was overthinking it. The reason emojis appeared on Starbucks takeout cups was that this cold cup was a limited edition released in collaboration with Tencent.

When the collaboration first launched, the difference between the limited-edition cup and the regular one was a ring of emojis surrounding the iconic logo. Starting yesterday, however, the design on the limited-edition cup changed to a single large emoji, with five designs in total: smile, grin, cool, laugh-cry, and heart.

Judging purely from the emoji patterns on the cup, consumers can indeed easily associate the collaboration partner with Tencent, as the designers deliberately chose several classic emojis most frequently used in online chats to highlight the theme.

However, these emojis have long deviated from their original meanings in different contexts today. Take the smiley face at the top of the emoji library, for instance—in chat scenarios, it is more often regarded by young netizens as "passive-aggressive," "a smile that doesn't reach the eyes," and other sarcastic expressions. As a result, some consumers unfamiliar with the campaign mistakenly thought Starbucks was subtly mocking them when they received this cold cup.

Even Starbucks employees couldn't help but complain. Turning to see a row of limited-edition cold cups on the counter, the smiley faces on the cups seemed to be silently staring at them, and the thought instantly flashed through their minds: "Just working a job, and even a cup has to be passive-aggressive with me."

For many users who are always online, although the smiley face is the most iconic emoji, under the influence of today's internet culture, receiving a cold cup printed with this expression might make them feel offended due to one of its connotations.

The oversized emojis make this limited-edition cup a love-it-or-hate-it item. However, the smiley-face cup didn't get rejected by customers because of the emoji's multiple meanings. Instead, it became a "must-have" for many, who specify in their order notes that they want this "passive-aggressive cup."

"Hahahahaha it's so 'workplace vibes'!" "Laughing at you for still being a corporate drone!" "The office worker's mood." "Hahahaha dying laughing this emoji is so mean." "At work you read your boss's face, drinking coffee you read the cup's face."

Although the emoji itself carries a "passive-aggressive" vibe, early-shift workers feel it perfectly matches the mental state of office workers. Holding it in their hands, it can express their workday mood for them, which is why they love it so much.

Some people, however, believe that while these emojis fit the collaboration theme, blowing up controversial emojis and printing them on takeout cups means different customers will have their own interpretations. A single misstep could make customers think they're being targeted by the brand—a real dilemma when you think about it.

Image source: Xiaohongshu

Disclaimer: Some images in this article are from the internet. For content on the website such as images, we respect the original copyright and will credit the source. However, due to the large volume, some images and text may not have been credited in time. We ask for your understanding. If the original author has any disputes, please contact the website and we will handle it. Once verified, we will correct it immediately. Compiled and edited by "Coffee Workshop." Please indicate the source when reposting. If there is any infringement, please let us know and we will delete it. Thank you~!

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