How does Starbucks promote their Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Social Media Marketing A pumpkin spice latte is mentioned at every turn, urging you to try the drink yourself. Starbucks’ vast social media marketing continues when they create social media accounts from the personified PSL itself, something that had never been done before in the quick-serve coffee industry. Fans of the latte share their stories and their hashtags, and Starbucks listens and responds. When fans use the hashtag #PSL on social media, Starbucks uses their name and photo (with their permission). They celebrate their consumer (and the purchase) right alongside them.While Starbucks doesn’t have “Pumpkin Spice Latte” trademarked, they do own the trademark for “PSL”.Following months of recipe refinement and market tests, it became evident that the PSL would be a hit. The birth of this iconic drink and multi-billion empire was a result of Starbucks recognizing that seasonal drinks work for multiple reasons, including their ability to evoke nostalgia.
Why is Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte so popular?
Comfort and Nostalgia: The flavors and spices used in the pumpkin spice latte, including cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves, evoke a sense of comfort and nostalgia for many people. These spices are often used in traditional fall and holiday recipes, making the PSL feel like a warm and familiar treat. In 2014, the latte emerged as a standalone character, known as “The Real PSL,” on social media, launching its own accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr. The accounts capitalized on the pumpkin spice craze by connecting with real customers and personifying the drink into a celebrity voice.The seasonal nature of a pumpkin spice latte hacks into the hunter-gatherer parts of our psychology, said Alice. The fact that you can only get them in autumn gives them a sense of scarcity, which drives our desire to get our hands on them.The seasonal return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) in August, coupled with new menu items such as the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte and apple-flavored Espressos and croissants, helped drive U. S. Placer. PSL launch.But it was, you guessed it, Starbucks that was first to capitalize on the brew, adding the pumpkin spice latte to its list of seasonal drinks. Peter Dukes, a Starbucks employee credited with the idea, pitched the combination in 2003, and the company has sold more than 420 million cups in the U. S.Why is the Pumpkin Spice Latte an excellent example of a successful marketing campaign?Starbucks did a phenomenal job attaching a lifestyle to the product. For example, using fall leaves and cozy images made customers want to create that feeling for themselves. The use of that imagery helped to brand Pumpkin Spice Latte as the drink of the season. The coffee conglomerate originally created the fun character as a PR strategy to remind everyone they had conceptualized the hype behind the fall beverage but ended up building something even bigger than a reminder. By creating a personality for the beverage, consumers began to see the latte as a symbol for fall.Sensory Marketing From the smell of the spice, the feeling of comfort associated with a warm beverage, and the taste of the latte being nostalgic, Starbucks plays right into your senses and leverages them to sell you the drink. Fall and Starbucks have almost become synonymous.It’s been 21 years since Starbucks debuted the first pumpkin spice latte in 2003. Since then, it’s become a cultural phenomenon greater than itself: it’s shorthand for fall, for basicness, for femininity, and even for white culture.Over two decades, Starbucks has sold hundreds of millions of Pumpkin Spice Lattes, and the beverage has become Starbucks most popular seasonal beverage of all time.The beverage is most commonly associated with Starbucks, which first offered the drink in the fall of 2003. The popular flavor has inspired a wide range of product variations that appear on a seasonal basis.
How popular is the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks?
According to Starbucks, the chain has sold “hundreds of millions” of these lattes. A CNN report from August 2022, before the drink’s return that year, offered a more exact figure, stating that by that point, the coffeehouse company had sold more than 600 million since the launch of the drink in 2003. The seasonal return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) in August, coupled with new menu items such as the Iced Pumpkin Cream Chai Tea Latte and apple-flavored Espressos and croissants, helped drive U. S. Placer. PSL launch.For starters, people associate the flavors of pumpkin and pumpkin pie with the nostalgia that comes from celebrating the holidays and spending time with family. As a way of taking advantage of this reaction, Starbucks has pretty much created a flavor that’s supposed to taste the exact same every time you order it.At Starbucks, the pumpkin spice latte is usually served with 3 pumps of the brand’s signature Pumpkin Spice Syrup, which gives the drink roughly 40 grams of sugar. Ask your barista to opt for 2, or even 1 pump instead to keep up healthy eating habits while maintaining delicious flavor.Jen Warnick: Starbucks launched a test of this Pumpkin Spice Latte in a hundred stores in Vancouver, British Columbia and Washington, DC, and people were kind of into it. So the following year in 2004, the PSL was rolled out nationwide PSL, by the way, was the original beverage code for the Pumpkin Spice Latte.In fact, Starbucks sells approximately 20 million pumpkin spice lattes every year. With so many people running to stores to purchase the drink, it is bound to stir up conversation.
How does sensory marketing play into the success of the pumpkin spice latte?
Sensory research plays a crucial role in understanding consumer preferences, evoking positive emotions, and ultimately driving sales growth. The success of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is a prime example of how sensory research can be used to create a product that resonates with consumers on a deep, emotional level. At its core, pumpkin spice is more than a flavor; it’s a seasonal ritual. As leaves start to fall and temperatures drop, Americans are drawn to cozy, comforting foods and drinks. Pumpkin spice is all about nostalgia and warmth, reminding people of family, friends, and gatherings.The pumpkin spice marketing phenomenon says that out-of-the-box thinking can be successful if you stay true to your brand. Positive feedback and interaction can be a great stepping stone to letting your creativity wild.Sensory research plays a crucial role in understanding consumer preferences, evoking positive emotions, and ultimately driving sales growth. The success of Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte is a prime example of how sensory research can be used to create a product that resonates with consumers on a deep, emotional level.The seasonal nature of a pumpkin spice latte hacks into the hunter-gatherer parts of our psychology, said Alice. The fact that you can only get them in autumn gives them a sense of scarcity, which drives our desire to get our hands on them.
What is the social media handle for the Pumpkin Spice Latte?
Pumpkin Spice Latte (@therealpsl) • Instagram photos and videos. For starters, people associate the flavors of pumpkin and pumpkin pie with the nostalgia that comes from celebrating the holidays and spending time with family. As a way of taking advantage of this reaction, Starbucks has pretty much created a flavor that’s supposed to taste the exact same every time you order it.Pumpkin spice, originally known as pumpkin pie spice, is typically made with a blend of ground cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and occasionally allspice.They spent the next three months prototyping the beverage, settling on a recipe that used pumpkin spice sauce with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg – handcrafted with espresso and steamed milk – and finished with whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie topping.While it’s unclear who the first person was to add pumpkin spice into a latte (the idea to combine the two likely wasn’t a Starbucks invention), the Starbucks employee credited with bringing the idea to the company is Peter Dukes, then the director of espresso, whose team created other seasonal drinks like the eggnog .They spent the next three months prototyping the beverage, settling on a recipe that used pumpkin spice sauce with cinnamon, clove and nutmeg – handcrafted with espresso and steamed milk – and finished with whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie topping.
What is a fun fact about pumpkin spice latte?
PSL was introduced as a test on October 10, 2003 in about 100 stores in Vancouver, B. C. Washington, D. C. U. S. Canada the following autumn. PSL got its nickname from the original three-letter beverage code for Pumpkin Spice Latte written by baristas on cups. PSL is as popular and polarizing as ever. Combing through more than 209,000 social posts from August 22 to September 23, 2024 via the Brandwatch platform, the Montclair team discovered an 895% increase in social media conversations surrounding pumpkin spice from a similar period in 2023.The PSL is a significant contributor to Starbucks’ earnings. According to Nielsen, sales of pumpkin spice-related products exceeded $800 million in the 12 months ending July 2023. Starbucks alone sells 20 million Pumpkin Spice Lattes each year, with roughly 10% of its overall sales coming from seasonal staples.In 2014, the latte emerged as a standalone character, known as “The Real PSL,” on social media, launching its own accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Tumblr. The accounts capitalized on the pumpkin spice craze by connecting with real customers and personifying the drink into a celebrity voice.PSL was introduced as a test on October 10, 2003 in about 100 stores in Vancouver, B. C. Washington, D. C. U. S. Canada the following autumn. PSL got its nickname from the original three-letter beverage code for Pumpkin Spice Latte written by baristas on cups.PSL is as popular and polarizing as ever. Combing through more than 209,000 social posts from August 22 to September 23, 2024 via the Brandwatch platform, the Montclair team discovered an 895% increase in social media conversations surrounding pumpkin spice from a similar period in 2023.