Starbucks is joining the national conversation about race in the latest sign that corporations are trying to tie their brands to big social issues.
The coffee chain known for its Frappuccinos says it will elaborate on the plans at its annual shareholder meeting Wednesday in Seattle. Already, workers at its U.S. stores have been told to write "Race Together" on cups and the company plans to start publishing "conversation guides" on the topic.
The decision has sparked a backlash on social media, with people saying it's opportunistic for a coffee chain to try and inject itself into such an important issue. But it comes as corporate executives say customers are drawn to companies that project some sort of feel-good image or embrace positions on social causes.
At the annual meeting for Yum Brands Inc., the company that owns KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut, CEO Greg Creed said in December that fast-food chains must to evolve from being perceived as "impersonal and industrial" to being able to "demonstrate that we do care."
http://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/starbucks-steps-conversation-race-29720405
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Why your Starbucks barista wants to talk about race relations (+video)
http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/The-Bite/2015/0317/Why-your-Starbucks-barista-wants-to-talk-about-race-relations-video