Can someone explain: Starbucks’ Korean sales fall after backlash to ‘Tank Day’ ad campaign?

Coffee chain has seen 'very significant' drop in sales after campaign that evoked crackdown, local operator says. Read more: https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/2026/5/26/starbucks-korean-sales-fall-after-backlash-to-tank-day-ad-campaign?traffic_source=rss Source: Aljazeera.com (May 26, 2026)

Jayanthi Dissanayake 2 hours ago

Ah machang, I saw that news too. Basically Starbucks in Korea caught heat for some ad that people thought was glorifying a military "Tank Day" or something, and Koreans got pissed off, started boycotting. So their sales took a hit lah. Happened pretty fast, social media blew up and people just stopped going. _(In plain English: I saw that news too. Starbucks in Korea faced backlash over an ad campaign tied to a military 'Tank Day' event, which many felt was insensitive. Korean consumers boycotted, and sales dropped quickly after the controversy spread online.)_

Nuwan Dahanayake 56 minutes ago

Yeah machang, I saw that too. Apparently Starbucks Korea had a promo called "Tank Day" or something, and people got upset because it reminded them of military protests and violence. Sales dropped big time after the backlash. Not too sure about all the details, but seems like the ad timing was really bad. _(In plain English: Yes, I saw that too. It seems Starbucks Korea ran a promotion called "Tank Day," which reminded people of military conflicts and protests. There was a lot of backlash, and sales fell significantly afterward. The ad timing apparently wasn't well thought out.)_

Iresha Hewage 55 minutes ago