Starbucks

As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to write for Starbucks.

Growing up in the Pacific Northwest, Starbucks was inescapable and omnipresent. The coffee chain was practically an institution in my house as I watched my Mom make a near-daily habit of her Venti® Americano with room for half and half. When I got the opportunity to write for Starbucks and move to Denver, Colorado, I jumped at the chance. In my first year working on the at-home wing of the iconic coffee brand, I wrote copy for product launches, seasonal campaigns, and lots of social work. 

Holiday Social

Core Social

Like any good brand, social is the backbone of Starbucks’ online presence. Whether promoting a specific coffee, depicting an attainable (but stylized) lifestyle moment, or simply acting as a reminder of delicious Starbucks coffee, these are some of my favorite social posts from my first year working on the brand, some of which even landed us sone nice earned media coverage.

The COVID-19 Pandemic took everyone by surprise. Offices were abandoned, campaign plans were scrapped, and budgets were re-allocated. After the initial wave of panic passed, our team took a look at the marketplace and began to formulate a “response.” Whether it was the flash-in-the-pan Dalgona coffee phenomenon or people looking to make their favorite café drinks at home, there was more demand for Starbucks at home than ever before. 

It only made sense that people were craving the comforting familiarity of their favorite Starbucks drinks during such an uncertain time. Our solve? We created a batch of café-inspired recipes using the same visual language to create a social campaign that allowed our fans to create their favorite Starbucks drinks at home in their kitchens. It also allowed Starbucks to be more flexible, reactive, and fresh than ever before. The result was some of the best-performing social of the year at nearly $10 run of site.

Creamers Social

Cold Brew Launch

Salt and pepper. Peanut butter and jelly. Coffee and creamer. These pairings just seem to make sense. As the biggest coffee company in the world, it was only a matter of time before Starbucks waded into the world of coffee’s best friend. In their first year on the market, Starbucks had launched four different creamer flavors, two seasonal offerings, and even non-dairy options. As the writer for this product, I was there setting the tone for communication every step of the way. By the end of the first year, Starbucks Creamers were reporting presence in 5% of all US households. When all was said and done, Starbucks Creamers had garnered roughly $100 million in sales during the product’s first year on the market.

I may be a little biased as a certified Caffeine Enjoyer, but cold brew is undefeated. It’s undoubtedly my caffeinated beverage of choice, and I know I’m not alone. Bringing the chilled coffee drink home was a no-brainer, but the problem was, (up until 2020), the only way to experience Starbucks Cold Brew at home was with a multi-serve pitcher pack that needed to steep overnight… Not exactly a compelling ask for a caffeine-deprived cold brew drinker in need of a kick of energy. With the launch of Cold Brew Concentrates, Starbucks made cold brew easy, delicious, and within reach. In the end, we exceeded all launch targets, growing Starbucks’ dollar share of the in-aisle Cold Brew category from 8% to 37%, and secured the #1 dollar share of cold brew during the Summer season.