Starbucks Confirms 'Dreamer Day' Campaign Is a Hoax
Global coffeehouse chain Starbucks recently confirmed that the Dreamer Day campaign, which is supposedly for undocumented immigrants, is bogus.
Starbucks took to Twitter to announce that the Dreamer Day campaign is not being sponsored by the company. It urged patrons to stop spreading the fake news.
Users from the online meme-generating platform, 4chan, made up a fake Starbucks campaign, which it dubbed Dreamer Day, to be celebrated on Aug. 11 to commemorate the hard work and passion of undocumented immigrants of America. The hoax even presented a 40 percent discount for these individuals.
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The ploy was only created last week on 4chan. One of the users proposed the idea, saying "How about we meme 'Undocumented Immigrant Day' at Starbucks into existence? Announce free coffee for all illegals on a certain date."
In addition, this individual set the date to Aug. 11, because the numbers "look like II (for Illegal Immigrant)."
Another user then proposed to contact the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement that they assume would arrest the individuals who show up at the coffee shop. And this particular user also claimed that he or she liked the idea of crippling the Starbucks business.
The moment the fake promotional materials started circulating, netizens started to doubt their validity, given that one poster endorsed a misspelled Frappuccino. They called the drink "Frappacino."
While some were utterly deceived by the setup, elated even about the thought of opposing Trump's campaign, others were quick to point out the flaws. A twitter user joked, "You know it's fake when Starbucks offers anything higher than 15%."
The campaign materials stated that by using the coupon code "Unafraid," illegal immigrants will get a "free venti cold beverage including a frappacino from any store."
Netizens should be wary of promotional campaigns such as this. It is best to check the official social media platforms of the brand to confirm its validity.
