STARBUCKS
PSL Town
Starbucks created the Pumpkin Spice Latte, and the world responded with pumpkin spice face masks, muscle milk, dog shampoo, even toothpaste. That bears repeating: pumpkin spice toothpaste. As a result, Starbucks wanted a fresh perspective on the phenomenon that is pumpkin spice—a campaign that could reinvigorate the appeal of the beverage with die-hard PSL fans, while sparking new customer engagement in regions outside the typical demographic…without taking itself too seriously.
The result? The creation of an entire town, full of real people, who take the annual return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte quite seriously. The success of the initial broadcast spot led to the inevitable sequel, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the PSL.
What I did: Creative Concept, Scriptwriting, Casting, Art Direction/Creation, Direction, Editing
Petites
The launch of bite-size pastries that resemble tiny pies represented a toe-in-the-water for Starbucks, as the coffee giant began its foray into the world of baked goods. This was a risk, so they needed something disruptive and playful to show how big these small treats could be. How do you express the immense flavor experience contained in something so petite? By making things a little more, well, proportionate.
The broadcast spot was supplemented by onsite banners and social content, complete with audition tapes from action figures who sadly didn’t make the cut.
What I did: Creative Concept, Scriptwriting, Casting, Art Direction/Creation, Direction, Editing
PSL PUMPKINHATCH LIVESTREAM
Starbucks had to face the sobering reality that pumpkin spice fatigue had set in. It was probably the pumpkin spice toothpaste that did it. It was time to try something that had never been attempted before. Something out of character. Facebook had become perhaps the most personal of social channels—it was a place where people openly shared their lives with one another. A place of raw emotion. And livestreaming was a thing.
Mix this all together, and you get an 84-hour live broadcast featuring never-before-seen footage of a pumpkin, in a nest, giving birth to the first PSL of the season…complete with its own QVC-style home shopping network.
Results: 84 hours of content, 21 million people reached, 137% increase in pre-PSL launch conversation, Business impact: +4% over forecast, 3 Gold ADDY awards
What I did: Writer/Project Lead/Driector, Campaign concept, Creative strategy (schedule, social post cadence, community engagement), Art direction (set design, illustration, improvised livestream painting), Copy (script, pumpkin facts, guided meditation, QVC channel, social copy, pumpkin poems), Direction (livestream + QVC channel), Pumpkin farming
Leaf Rakers Society
The 84-hour livestream of a pumpkin giving birth to a latte inspired the creation of a tribute Facebook Group–managed and moderated entirely by PSL “Pumpkin-hatch” fans.
And so, with a $0 budget, we responded, in kind, to the PSL-loving community by founding The Leaf Rakers Society, Starbucks’ first Facebook Group. The hope was to attract, at most, 4K members. In a few weeks, a new holiday was created, fall was given its own anthem/carol (and downloadable sheet music), and we launched a short-form, serialized animated series. Within a month, the group was deemed “the happiest place on the internet,” with almost 100% of all content being generated by the community, for the community (including the recording of a Leaf Rakers Society country western song). Ultimately, the keys were handed over to PSL fans entirely, who continue to community manage and moderate the group to this day. And now, 3 years later, membership has exceeded 49K.
Results: 49.9 K members. Shorty Award for Best Online Community. A dedicated online community of Starbucks customers who manage and operate the group, promoting Starbucks beverages throughout the year, supplying round-the-clock brand love.
What I did: Writer/Project Lead, Campaign concept, Creative strategy (schedule, social post cadence, community engagement), Design & illustration (header, membership pins, secret handshake & cup sleeve design), Copy (group description, group name, “Fallbservation Fridays” scripts, Fall Pumpkinox anthem, social posts), Direction/animation (“Fallbservation Fridays”- animated series, launch animation, Fall Pumpkinox anthem reveal)
MERRY COFFEE
Holiday remains the single largest and most business-critical promo period for Starbucks. We needed a campaign that could categorically and joyfully ring in the arrival of the season, across all channels and retail stores, with a focus on what Starbucks does best.
Namely, coffee.
What I did: Writer, Campaign concept, Creative concept (social, broadcast), Copy (tagline, manifesto, in-store signage)
SPOTIFY HOLIDAY PLAYLIST
Starbucks and Spotify were collaborating on the release of the Starbucks Holiday Playlist, and this was the first year CDs of the holiday album would not be available in retail stores. The challenge was to announce the digital release of the album on Facebook, to younger and older generations alike.
What I did: Writer/Project Lead, Campaign concept, Creative strategy, Design (set & character design), Copy (script), Direction/animation
MORE SOCIAL COPY
Whether the objective was to clearly communicate the launch of a new beverage, or simply make our customers smile, social copywriting for the Starbucks Global Creative Studio always served as an authentic, human means by which we could connect with our customers. It was a way to invite positive discourse, build brand affinity, and yes, to also sell a few lattes along the way.
DESIGN + ILLUSTRATION
MISSION + VALUES
What I did: Writer, Creative concept, Copy (social), Design/illustration (Upstanders coloring book)
SNAPCHAT LENSES
What I did: Creative concept, Storyboard