What can you learn from the pumpkin spice marketing phenomenon?
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. Pumpkin spice continues to reign as a seasonal heavyweight in 2025. Starbucks kicked off fall early this year, relaunching its iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte (PSL) on August 26 in hot, iced, and Frappuccino formats.The big boom of pumpkin spice truly came in the 1990s with the launch of the PSL. A little coffee shop named Starbucks launched the PSL, hesitantly, and initiated the pumpkin spice craze. The latte became the talk of the town with customers everywhere patiently awaiting the fall season just for their coveted PSL.Starbucks is credited with starting the trend for all things pumpkin spice. According to the coffee chain’s website, the idea was born in a lab on the seventh floor of its HQ in Seattle. Researchers brainstormed ideas for seasonal flavoured coffees and pumpkin scored high on uniqueness.Starbucks is credited with starting the trend for all things pumpkin spice. According to the coffee chain’s website, the idea was born in a lab on the seventh floor of its HQ in Seattle. Researchers brainstormed ideas for seasonal flavoured coffees and pumpkin scored high on uniqueness.
Who started the pumpkin spice trend?
While Starbucks can be credited with jump-starting the global fixation, it’s a good thing they decided against calling the PSL Fall Harvest Latte, one of the original name contenders, because FHL just doesn’t have the same ring. And fall harvest SPAM? We’d take the pumpkin spice version any day. Starbucks has also announced the launch date of its fall 2025 menu. The iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte and other seasonal drinks and food will become available on Tuesday, Aug.
What makes pumpkin spice iconic?
How did pumpkin spice become so popular? A baking revolution came in the mid-1930s when American companies rolled out the pumpkin spice blend, offering shoppers a pre-blended mix in a bottle, eliminating the need to buy each separate spice and blend them, according to Canteen and Food & Wine. Cinnamon, Nutmeg, and Cloves: Mix 2 parts cinnamon, 1 part nutmeg, and a pinch of cloves for a simple pumpkin pie spice substitute. Use this blend in recipes like cookies, muffins, and breads to achieve a warm and slightly spicy flavor.To really understand the pumpkin spice obsession, it helps to know a bit about its origins. The classic blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves dates back to early American baking, with pumpkin pie becoming a holiday must-have in the 1800s.Pumpkin spice originally referred to the spices traditionally paired with pumpkin: usually some combination of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, ginger, and mace (some recipes use allspice instead of mace, but mace and nutmeg come from the same plant hence their association here).Common Pumpkin Pie Spice Substitution Questions To get 1 teaspoon of pumpkin pie spice, use ¾ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon ginger, allspice, cloves or nutmeg, whatever you have! If you have two of the above spices, use ½ teaspoon cinnamon and ¼ teaspoon of whichever two spices you do have.
How does Starbucks promote the 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. 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.
What is the psychology behind pumpkin spice?
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. So when you smell those spices, it will immediately activate emotive memories of joy, warmth and happiness. And if you’re sipping a pumpkin spice latte, the high levels of sugar in the drink also trigger the brain’s reward system, releasing feel good chemicals making us crave more.All the ingredients in the Pumpkin spice flavor mixture are spices and herbs used in old folk magick (Wicca and Neo-Paganism) to ward off evil, negative energy, and malevolent spirits or wandering ghosts.The taste of pumpkin spice may be desirable due to its scarcity, as it’s only available during the fall. In addition to flavor and taste, pumpkin spice can also create nostalgia.