Starbucks is throwing itself in the middle of yet another heated national debate.
The world’s biggest coffee chain said today that it will ask US customers and businesses to sign a petition calling for an end to the partial government shutdown that has forced hundreds of thousands of federal workers off the job.
The petition, which will be available at all Starbucks 11,000 US locations to sign beginning Friday, calls for reopening the government, paying debts on time and passing a long-term budget deal by the end of the year. In addition to Starbucks customers, Schultz is trying to get the CEOs of the nation’s largest companies to sign.
The move is unusual for a company like Starbucks. While big brands generally steer clear of politics to avoid alienating customers, Starbucks and its outspoken CEO, Howard Schultz, in recent years have run toward the spotlight by trying to gain a voice in national political issues.
But because the company’s efforts are generally non-partisan and unlikely to cause controversy, marketing and corporate image experts say they burnish Starbucks’ reputation as a socially conscious company.
“It’s always risky when brands mix politics and business,” said Allen Adamson, managing director of the New York-based branding firm Landor Associates. “But the benefit for Starbucks likely outweighs the risk.”
Last month, Schultz asked customers not to bring guns into Starbucks stores.