Starbucks Korea (hereafter Starbucks) has been knocked from the No. 1 spot in KakaoTalk (hereafter KakaoTalk) Gift exchange vouchers, as controversy continues over claims that the company ran marketing that appeared to mock the May 18 Democratization Movement memorial day. For the past seven years, Starbucks had been No. 1 in KakaoTalk Gifts.
As of 2 p.m. on the 25th, the top spots in the overall rankings for KakaoTalk Gift exchange vouchers were taken by Baemin, MEGA MGC COFFEE, and Olive Young gift certificates. A Starbucks coffee gift certificate worth 13,900 won barely made it into the top 10 at No. 10, while the 30,000 won certificate ranked No. 12 and the 50,000 won certificate ranked No. 13, falling outside the top 10. According to Kakao, Starbucks gift certificates had been the undisputed No. 1 in the KakaoTalk Gift exchange voucher institutional sector for seven years since 2019.
At the same time, No. 1 was the Baemin 50,000 won exchange voucher, and No. 2 was the Baemin 30,000 won exchange voucher. No. 3 was the MEGA MGC COFFEE "red bean bingsu gelato parfait" exchange voucher, No. 4 was the Shinsegae 100,000 won gift certificate exchange voucher exclusive to E-MART, and No. 5 was the MGC COFFEE Americano exchange voucher. Next, Olive Young's 30,000 won and 50,000 won exchange vouchers ranked No. 6 and No. 7, respectively, No. 8 was the Paris Baguette special-price 35,000 won exchange voucher, and No. 9 was the MEGA MGC COFFEE "matcha gelato red bean bingsu parfait" exchange voucher.
In the industry, the view is that this seismic shift was likely influenced by the recent "May 18 Tank Day" controversy. The interpretation is that "national trust" was broken by marketing that not only commercially exploited a historic tragedy but also appeared to mock it.
However, some say it remains to be seen whether the change in rankings is a direct impact of the "Tank Day" controversy or a temporary phenomenon driven by rising demand for Baemin gift certificates. Even so, the fact that Starbucks' "No. 1 in KakaoTalk Gifts for seven years" has been shaken is symbolic, according to prevailing industry assessments.
Meanwhile, Shinsegae Group Chairman Chung Yong-jin is scheduled on the 26th to personally announce the group's investigation results along with a public apology over the controversy.