Starbucks encourages Costa Ricans to vote with free coffee

January 30^th, 2014 (InsideCostaRica.com) In order to encourage Costa Ricans to head to the polls for Costa Rica’s general election on Sunday, coffee giant Starbucks announced that it will give anyone who votes a free cup of coffee.

“Our invitation is that customers come to Starbucks in the morning and tell us they exercised their right to vote, and we will share with them a rich cup of coffee of the day,” Monica Bianchini, country manager for Starbucks in Costa Rica said.  She did not elaborate on how it would be determined if customers had actually went to the polls or not.

The campaign was announced by the company in a short video, which asks Costa Ricans, “What if we cared for country all the time and not just for a moment?” and “What if we all cared enough to vote?”

Starbucks officials said they would run the campaign simultaneously in El Salvador, which will also elect a new president on Sunday.

“This campaign is an initiative of social responsibility.  We want Starbucks to positively impact the communities in which the brand is involved,” said Yolanda Puente, Starbucks marketing director for Central America.