Bruce Lawson ✅ ♫ ♿ ✌️♂️✊2d ago
"Marketers chose the slogan after consulting an AI tool, looking for suggestions... It turned out some managers who approved the campaign never opened the email attachments showing the marketing material." https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/jun/06/starbucks-south-korea-tank-day-promotion-blunder
How a Starbucks marketing stunt spiralled into mass boycotts in South Korea

A botched tumbler promotion on the anniversary of a pro-democracy massacre unleashed a boycott, police investigation and political firestorm

The Guardian
Show threadJered Floyd
@brucelawson @cstross Ah, we’re reaching the “AI as scapegoat” phase of this cycle, I see. (Narrator: It wasn’t AI, it was fascism all along.)
Jun 6 at 12:05pmWeb
Show threadsahqon2d ago

@jered @brucelawson @cstross Everything is pointing to a coincidence with this, the AI use, the not opening things and all of it probably happened exactly as they claim, but the exact date and the exact details say that -somebody- was behind it. Probably not the management currently being held responsible, but don't tell me accidents this precise have any realistic chance of happening. Now somebody high enough up that they knew how things like this were approved but won't be the one paying for the fuckup, that's more believable.

Edit: or I suppose since it's Starbucks it could have been a fucked up loyalty pledge to the Nazis that they didn't realize would end quite this badly.