Starbucks Korea has decided to cancel its signature summer promotion, the "e-Frequency" event. Halting the flagship event, which has been held every summer and winter, is an unusual decision, interpreted as the combined result of various recent controversies and the need for internal restructuring.
According to the food and beverage industry on the 14th, Starbucks Korea recently informed its employees through an internal notice that it would not hold the "2026 Summer e-Frequency," which had originally been scheduled to run from the 2nd of last month through the 26th of this month.
In the notice, the company explained, "We have decided not to proceed with this summer's e-Frequency in order to make restoring customer trust our top priority and to focus on overhauling our internal operating system."
The e-Frequency is Starbucks's signature membership event that gives limited-edition merchandise to customers who purchase a certain number of handcrafted beverages, including mission drinks. The limited-quantity gifts released each year have drawn such high interest that they often sell out early, establishing the event as a marketing symbol of Starbucks.
The industry views the company as having prioritized restoring customer trust, given that it canceled the most highly anticipated promotion of the year. "Since the e-Frequency is an event that represents Starbucks, the decision to cancel it would not have been easy," one industry official said. "It is interpreted as a choice made with brand image recovery in mind."
Several factors are analyzed to have influenced the cancellation. As this summer's new product launches were delayed by more than a month compared with previous years, the promotion period was shortened, and there is an assessment that it would have been difficult to carry out the schedule normally.
On top of this, the industry sees the growing burden of public opinion as a contributing factor, following the controversy over the "Tank Day" marketing in May, which was accused of disparaging the democratization movement, and more recently the controversy over the Baejae High School baseball team cheering slogan.
However, not all summer season marketing has been halted. Starbucks is running its summer promotion, which features seasonal beverages, food, and merchandise, as scheduled. Last month, it released four new summer menu items, including the "Pineapple Blue Coco Frappuccino," "Light Yuzu Lemon Blended," "Sea Salt Caramel Cold Brew," and "Sea Salt Foam Black Tea." This was the first new product unveiling in 69 days since the spring season.
Benefits for membership customers also continue. Starbucks is running the "Starbucks Rewards Summer Coupon" event, offering free beverages and food discount coupons to both existing members and new sign-ups, through the end of this month.
