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Open case files

Marketing claims, checked against the record.

Every marketing case study says a company built a movement, a slogan, a philosophy. This is what the same company's own court filings, earnings calls, and regulators say happened next.

HOW A CASE FILE IS BUILT

7 companies investigated so far, every number sourced. Read the full method →

01 CASE FILE — COMPANY   NO. 06   FILED: DATE   STATUS: OPEN
02 Company Marketing Strategy: The Real Question Its Record Raises?
03 The Pitch — two paragraphs, no heading.
04 The Record — three to five dated, named incidents.
05 The Verdict — stamped, plain, no hedging.
  • 01
    The filingA sequential case number, a filing date, a status. A closed case can reopen the day the company's record changes.
  • 02
    The headlineAlways the exact keyword the company's marketing claims to own, turned into the real question its own record raises.
  • 03
    The pitchWhat the company's marketing actually says, and the single strongest piece of proof that it's real.
  • 04
    The recordEach incident sourced to a court filing, an earnings call, or a regulatory ruling.
  • 05
    The verdictWhere the pitch holds up, stated plainly. Where it doesn't, stated just as plainly.
New here? Start with this one Starbucks Marketing Strategy: If the Third Place Still Works, Why Did It Take Four CEOs in Three Years to Say So?

LATEST CASE FILES

Business Controversy
CASE NO. 10 — STARBUCKS CONTROVERSY

What's Behind the Boycotts, Lawsuits & Union Fight?

Ethical-sourcing lawsuits, a $25 million discrimination verdict, 627 store closures, and a tumbler promotion that reopened a 1980 massacre in South Korea. Six separate fights, sorted by record.

FILED: JULY 7, 2026
 Business Tagline
CASE NO. 09 — STARBUCKS TAGLINE

Why Doesn't the World's Biggest Coffee Chain Have One?

More than 25 slogans since 1987, none of them kept. The green-apron rebrand, a 2009 Adweek campaign, and a mission statement doing a tagline's job, plus a 95% brand-recall stat that traces to nowhere.

FILED: JULY 6, 2026
 Marketing Strategy
CASE NO. 08 — PATAGONIA MARKETING STRATEGY

How Does "Earth Is Our Only Shareholder" Square With Suing Pattie Gonia?

Don't Buy This Jacket, Worn Wear, and a company given away to fight climate change. A stalled living-wage goal, two recalls, and a 2026 trademark suit against a drag queen activist show the rest.

FILED: JULY 6, 2026
 Marketing Strategy
CASE NO. 07 — GOPRO MARKETING STRATEGY

Why Didn't 43,000 Submissions Stop a Slide From $1.6 Billion to $801 Million?

GoPro's Million Dollar Challenge draws 43,000 free user clips a year. A 2016 drone recall, a securities settlement, and a revenue slide to $801 million show what the contest never had to cover.

FILED: JULY 5, 2026
 Marketing Strategy
CASE NO. 06 — IKEA MARKETING STRATEGY

How Does "A Better Everyday Life" Square With $96 Million in Dresser Settlements?

The flat pack made the furniture cheap. An Ernst & Young prison-labor report, a 17-million-dresser recall, and a €1 million spying verdict show who paid the rest.

FILED: JULY 5, 2026
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