Starbucks Chilled Coffee Is Putting People Over Product

Waking up and reaching for a cup of coffee is a habit that is still ever-growing — whether that comes with 12 pumps of caramel or just a splash of oat milk — Starbucks Chilled Coffee is a brand looking to support as life’s sidekick. 

That why its new platform ‘Whatever Your Thing, We’re In’— by creative agency AMV BBDO — is rooted in the insight of celebrating self-expression in an era where conforming to society is a barrier for some — particularly young people constantly editing themselves to fit in. 

“We really saw an opportunity to pull at consumer attention in a way that will drive a stronger emotional affection,” explains Nick Dodi, VP global coffee alliance at Starbucks. “We’re not the hero, we’re just a sidekick in whatever your thing is.” 

The hero film sees a woman skateboarding though the streets of Barcelona, sipping on a Starbucks Chilled Coffee drink, enjoying her personal passion; the work aims to inspire audiences to embrace ‘your thing’ - be it creative or a unique side hustle. 

Tapping into Gen Z

The insight behind the work didn’t appear out of thin air; research revealed younger audiences in today’s society face immense pressure to fit in, preventing them from expressing who they really are. 

“88 per cent of young people today hold part of themselves back because they feel they need to conform to society,” begins Charlotta Oldham, marketing director, EMEA, at Starbucks Chilled Coffee.

“The brand DNA has always stood for authenticity and belonging; while pressure to conform is real, the pushback is also growing stronger. Younger audiences are wanting to redefine their identity and express their successes in their own ways.” 

The making of the hero film saw this messaging channeled right to who was picked for the main part. 

“We found this amazing longboarder, Jikal Hassan, on YouTube. She's actually a lawyer but has taken up longboarding professionally, and so we felt she truly captures the spirit of the campaign.”

In a further appeal to younger audiences, the campaign’s launch included a boat party across the River Thames, and a release of the film’s anthem — a remix of Basement Jaxx’s iconic ‘Do Your Thing’ with DJ Jax Jones, picked specifically due to its self-expression messaging.

Targeting younger audiences — who traditionally can sniff out anything inauthentic in an instant, comes with a need for authenticity. And it’s something the brand was conscious of. 

“You have to be credible,” continues Oldham. “As authenticity and self-expression are very much part of the core DNA of the brand, it does feel like a very credible way for us to go into that space.”

This sees the campaign find its way onto social media, where, alongside the launch of the track, the brand encourages audiences to show its ‘thing’ using ‘#whateveryourthing’ on Instagram and TikTok.

A global platform built for local expression

While the idea of the campaign is rooted in celebrating people and their ‘thing’, the work, being on a global scale, needed to represent a collective across Starbucks Chilled Coffee’s markets. 

“Our business operates in 59 markets across the region,” explains Dodi. “We've been in a place where we've really been fortunate to enjoy strong growth over the past few years. As leaders in the category, we saw an opportunity to change how we go to market to consumers.”

Filmed in Barcelona, the aim was to create a feel relevant to all markets, says Oldham; “We didn’t want it to feel too-city specific, we wanted a more cinematic feel that we’ve done in some of our other campaigns.”

While the main film leads the campaign, the work sees a fully integrated approach, from social channels to OOH to the creator ecosystem. 

According to Oldham it’s “culture first, but also social first”. 

She continues: “There’ll be a lot on social with content creators and influencers that will really lean into local markets. Content creators can stay authentic to who they are and express their own identity, which is a really lovely way to showcase the campaign.”

Consumers can also expect to see large in-store executions, where the brand is “really dialling up” on its distinctive assets for those close to shelves, and OOH work, Oldham adds, can be seen across its markets, such as London’s red buses seeing glimpses of the Starbucks green. 

Having such a multi-faceted approach across its 59 markets is an indicator of the importance of the campaign’s messaging, says Dodi. “The platform being ‘Whatever Your Thing, We’re In’ has such legs because there’s individuality, but also regionally what people want looks very different.”

Oldham adds that the initial cross-agency briefing process across AMV BBDO, Edelman, and Carat helped to create more cohesive work overall. “When you do that, you can create so much magic with all the best agency people in the room, and the work truly demonstrates that.”

People before product

Like most ads in the category, it would have been easy to put its product front and centre; Oldham outlines that the coffee category is still “relatively nascent” but becoming increasingly commoditised and “dominated with very similar messaging”, such as function claims. 

“We thought, ‘Let’s shift that narrative and lead with something more meaningful. Let’s move away from those transactional benefits and towards something more emotional and culturally relevant.’” 

The decision to move away from product was a “very conscious” one, driven by modern day culture. 

“Culture today isn't driven by brands, it's driven by people. And by dialling down the product and dialling up the real moments of self-expression, we position ourselves as an enabler."

To channel authenticity, the brand tested the work across several markets, adds Dodi. “That really helped reinforce that we were translating the authenticity that is so important to our DNA, and that the work was actually being seen as a credible and compatible position for us to take with this campaign. It was great to get that validation from consumers prior to launch.”