⛾ Starbucks' Free Milk
Big news about milk
In the fall of 2024, a cloak and dagger CEO swap made media waves, bringing a rare, hopeful feeling to employees and shareholders at Starbucks who were used to reading headlines about boycotts, labor disputes, and unhappy loyal customers. As the only ad agency creatives embedded at Starbucks, our unfettered client access helped us snowball that hopeful feeling. We handed the new CEO an easy win that signaled positive change was coming.
“Charge less,” we said, holding up a social listening report about oatmilk. “Get rid of the surcharge for milk substitutes with a swipe of your pen right before your first earnings call.” He bought it. And as planned, we broke the news online right before that earnings call. Analyst phones were already buzzing when they tuned in. We knew we hit the mark when one attendee thanked the new CEO personally.
Frothy RESULTS
Our stunt generated tremendous positive momentum for the struggling brand, surpassing 2,000 earned media placements in 48 hours. And despite an otherwise rough earnings call, Starbucks shares rose.
“Starbucks is giving almond milk lovers and oat milk enthusiasts a holiday gift this year.”
“Non-dairy milk lovers, rejoice.”
“This shift not only aligns with growing demand for plant-based options but also makes sustainable choices more accessible.”
“Starbucks is wading through a frothy foam of challenges but has some big plans to get back in customers’ good graces.”
“With this new change in Starbucks policy, we can all try out new milk alternatives and flavors, making our go-to drinks even better!”
Realizing that our hopeful snowball was growing, we placed full-page ads in the The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. And Starbucks followers, fans, and customers loved the simple change so much that our concise vertical video announcement became the company’s all-time best-performing organic post on TikTok and Reels within 24 hours.
Non-dairy milk customizations—oat, almond, soy, and coconut—won’t cost extra starting Nov 7.