Components

Primary File

Singer Neil Young boycotts Starbucks over Vermont’s GMO Labeling Law

Paul E. Olsen, Karen Popovich, Alexandra Brenock
November 1, 2016
SKU:
BUS-004782
Region: 
North America
Topic: 
Ethics & Social Justice, Strategy & General Management
Length: 
12 pages
Keywords: 
Public Relations, PR, crisis management, social media, media
Copyrighted by: 
Journal of Case Studies
Student Price: 
$4.00 (€3.75)
Average rating: 
0

Late in 2014, singer Neil Young issued a social media message calling for a boycott of Starbucks. Young alleged that Starbucks, as a member of the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), supported a lawsuit that aimed to block a Vermont law that required genetically-modified food ingredients be labeled. A self-described loyal customer, Kyle Roberson, heard about the boycott from mainstream media sources including The Washington Post, Burlington (Vermont) Free Press, Rollingstone.com, and MTV.com. Could Kyle continue to patronize Starbucks if what Neil Young said was true? While waiting for the official Starbucks response, Kyle investigated the legislation, the parties in the lawsuit, and Young’s call for a boycott.

Learning Outcomes: 
  1. Perform a SWOT company and industry analysis.
  2. Analyze markets using the CAGE criteria.
  3. Determine appropriate marketing approaches for a country.
  4. Determine appropriate market entry strategies for a country.
  5. Create a marketing plan for a country based on a SWOT analysis, the CAGE criteria, marketing approaches, and market entry strategies.