Starbucks to Promote "Arctic Tale"
by Jasmin Malik Chua, Jersey City, USA on 06.28.07
Starbucks is planning to fete a summer publicity blitz for Arctic Tale, an upcoming movie about a walrus and a polar bear, narrated by Queen Latifah, with posters and cup sleeves that the java juggernaut hopes will educate customers about global warming at the same time.
Arctic Tale is produced by Paramount Classics, the Viacom studio behind our man Al's An Inconvenient Truth, and National Geographic Films, which brought us March of the Penguins. It's set to debut in selected theaters July 25, with wide release targeted for Aug. 15.
Starbucks will also pipe in the movie soundtrack into its stores, featuring the vocal stylings of Ben Harper, Aimee Mann, and the Shins. Mark Aug. 15 on your calenders, because the company has designated that day a "National Day of Discussion," with plans to hold in-store salons with environmental groups such as Earth Watch and Global Green USA.
As this writer has said before, we would probably take them more seriously if Starbucks' paper carriers weren’t printed in China and assembled in Indonesia. Another case of do as we say, not as we do?
Maybe we'll get a climate-change Bearista. :: AP and :: Arctic Tale Movie
Aw shucks, since National Geographic is involved I probably won't get to see the comedic team of Robin Williams as a penguin paired up with Ben Stiller as a polar bear cub. That would have been so cute! Darn those polar opposites (groan).
Surprisingly Starbucks is opening a new drive thru here in Edmonton which makes me believe that while talking the talk they most certainly won't walk the walk if it affects their bottom line.
"Do as we say and not as we do" is exactly right. I recently blogged about this issue, I focused more on Starbucks lack of a serious recycling program.
More here:
Starbucks + Arctic Tale + Global Warming = Corporate Hypocrisy