Let's talk about the 'Unicorn Frappuccino' from Starbucks that everyone is simply raving about–or at least let's discuss why I can't go on any of my social media platforms without seeing the pink and blue concoction.
Basically there is a lot of buzz going around right now about the highly-anticipated drink, and yet there are mixed reviews about whether it even tastes good. The drink reportedly has a sweet and sour play going on, accounting for the bright colors and also mixed reactions of guests. But unique flavors aren't really a new thing for the Starbuck's frappuccino collection. The line has really blossomed over the past couple of years, introducing revolutionary flavors like lemon bar and red velvet. The company even recruited fans in a campaign to vote on their favorites to keep on the menu long-term.
Social media has undoubtedly accounted for the widespread attention of the unicorn frapp in the public eye. Much like the praise the 'pink drink' Starbucks fans went crazy for not too long ago, people really feed into social media marketing whether they are conscious of it or not. Specifically, the younger generations tend to gravitate to this marketing technique and companies–like Starbucks–are fully willing to exploit this tendency. And it's working! Instagram accounts everywhere are being plastered with the colorful drink and trendy hashtags, only furthering the hype of a drink that apparently doesn't even taste that good and has a ridiculous amount of sugar in it. Not to mention, most baristas cringe having to prepare the ridiculous drink.
Starbucks is no greenhorn when it comes to controversy. From the chaos behind the infamous red cups to seemingly outrageous prices, the successful company seems to attract a lot of criticism no matter what move they make. Fortunately for their marketing team, no matter what manner of attention they receive, they're still getting 14-year-olds coming into stores to impress their Instagram following. That green mermaid has a real tendency of being photogenic on social media everywhere.
The question is why does society care so much about a sugary, over-priced drink? It's not like there aren't more pressing matters to make a long-winded rant about on Facebook. Heck, we might be on the brink of a nuclear war and most of us are worried about the sugar content of a drink that has the word unicorn in it. I think its official: we have finally misplaced our priorities.
Or perhaps we do this on purpose? With thousands of current events that are worrisome or seem out of our control, maybe we seek out the little things in our wheelhouse that we can control. The state of the nation may be chaotic or even our own personal lives as well, but tackling a ridiculous trend? Controllable.
Stepping back from the hype of the pink and blue drink, we can see society's tendency to want to fit in and experience things as a collective. As humans, we gravitate toward others and the feeling of belonging to a group or in this case, a trend. On the opposite side of that sentiment, when a few question the relevance of such a trend, you can be sure that a whole new group of critics will pop up. Is the unicorn frappuccino one of the most talked about trends currently? Unfortunately, yes. But are there far more important issues that could really use our attention? Most definitely. So maybe instead of reaching for a frapp, we should be reaching for a newspaper or seek out what's happening in the world around us. Not to mention it will also save you some cash and an extra hour at the gym with that 400+ calorie grande, yikes!
