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Starbucks is a Unicorn
How Starbucks leveraged the unicorn to become its own billboard
Ali Kaltman
June 16, 2024
Brand: Starbucks
Campaign: Unicorn Frappuccino
Read time: 5 minutes
💬 Overview 💬
I recently listened to the Starbucks episode of the Acquired podcast.
First off, it’s an amazing show rich with business lessons. I’d highly recommend it.
Second, it got me thinking about how genius Starbucks is for using their own products as billboards.
So, I wanted to talk through this strategy through the lens of one specific drink:
The Infamous Unicorn Frappuccino
When it launched, it was everywhere.
But where did it come from? And why was it so disruptive?
Well… in 2017, Starbucks was looking at a variety of trends.
They saw that National Unicorn Day was April 9th AND this was around the time that crazy foods were going viral (think: Ramen Burger or Rainbow Dessert).
Starbucks saw an opportunity to tap into both insights by imagining what a unicorn drink would look like…
💙 The Branded Moment 💙
And The Unicorn Frappuccino was born.
The drink officially launched on April 19, 2017.
It was vibrant, unique, and colorful.
It was impossible not to wonder about it once you saw someone drinking it in the wild.
PLUS it was the kind of drink you had to post about when you ordered one.
It disrupted your feed. It disrupted your walk.
The Unicorn Frappuccino set a new standard for blending a marketing strategy IRL and on social.
And by leaving the name vague (“Unicorn”) instead of pushing flavor, it incited your tastebud’s curiosity.
…. and it was only available for 5 DAYS (!!).
💡 Results 💡
The Unicorn Frappuccino is the ultimate example of what earned media and limited time offerings can do for your brand.
With millions of social mentions and hundreds of media brands reporting on it, it’s safe to say the Unicorn Frappuccino broke the internet.
From a revenue perspective, the Unicorn Frap both increased the customer order value (existing customers wanted to try it) AND brought in incremental consumers.
Global same-store sales increased by 3% the following quarter and the impact was felt long after the campaign was over.
People were RUSHING to Starbucks to try it before it was too late.
The Unicorn Frap was a viral success.
Side note, I also think the Unicorn Frap walked so the Erewhon Smoothie could run. 😁
🎬 Take Action 🎬
The Unicorn Frap was successful because it was:
An LTO (limited time offering), which activated your FOMO.
Attention-grabbing. How you could look away?
EVERYWHERE. When one person bought it, 20 more would see it as you walked down the street. It was free promotion for itself.
This week, consider: How do you leverage your own product as your biggest billboard?
Can you make your takeaway bag more vibrant? Add some personality to your shipping materials?
Think about the ways you can use your own product for free promos.
What’s New This Week
One new product I tried this week 👉 Ritual Protein Powder - I can’t eat whey protein, so I tried this protein powder this week and I’m a huge fan.
One new campaign I’m loving 👉 Van Leeuwen x Sabrina Carpenter Espresso Ice Cream Collab
One marketer to watch 👉 Alexis Unwalla - Head of Media at Michelob ULTRA, Alexis is bringing ULTRA front and center, especially during the NBA Finals!
Brandkeeping
If you enjoyed this newsletter, please forward it on to 3 marketers you know!
And if you have a brand or campaign you want to spotlight, please reply directly to this newsletter.
Let’s chat!
See ya!
Ali
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