Coffee Preferences Stir Debate Amid Dunkin' Boycott

A TikTok video, which was created by Jacqueline Lee [ @glutenfreejackie] has fostered a debate among coffee enthusiasts, featuring the devotees of the world-known Starbucks against the fans of Dunkin’ Donuts. In this more than 6.9M-likes video, which has reached approximately 665,700 views, Lee amusingly differentiates the banal characteristics of the “girls that go to Starbucks” and “girls that go to Dunkin’”. The topic of coffee preferences has led to the issue of consumers’ preference towards their favorite coffee house.

Although the main focus of the video is to share a kind of stereotype, it has also become an issue mentioned in a more severe context: some people noted in the comments of the video that they had been boycotting Starbucks for a while; the company’s position regarding the Israel-Palestine conflict, where Starbucks allegedly took the wrong side, has caused its regular consumers to transfer their loyalty to Dunkin’. Thus, nowadays, global situations can impact minor, compared to the international scale, daily situational matters.

The topic raised by the TikTok video is not only about the coffee issue but also regarding consumers’ preferences and the tendency to react to the global political issue such as international conflicts with identifying in the position of their favorite brand. While Twitter debates are not ceasing, Dunking’ and Starbucks are yet to answer to the viral event.