Starbucks taps Martha Stewart for Pumpkin

Starbucks launched a social media campaign featuring Martha Stewart and actor Belmont Cameli to market the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte, addressing

Starbucks has launched a new marketing campaign for the return of its Pumpkin Spice Latte, featuring lifestyle icon Martha Stewart and actor Belmont Cameli. The drink returned to stores on August 25, according to a company press release.

The social-first campaign, created by Starbucks' U.S. creative agency Anomaly, directly engages with the Pumpkin Spice Latte's cultural reputation. In the ads, Stewart alludes to the common perception that the PSL is a drink for people with 'basic,' or cookie-cutter, tastes.

Campaign Strategy and Content

In one video, Stewart embraces the label. "Oh, Pumpkin Spice Latte? The drink that makes us all a little more basic?" she asks before shrugging and adding, "This smells like my house in the fall. It's perfect." The company describes Stewart as "the queen of fall and keeping it real."

The ad then features a cameo from Belmont Cameli, who stars as a hockey player in the Amazon Prime Video show "Off Campus." Cameli comments on Stewart ordering her drink hot, noting he orders his iced, to which Stewart humorously replies, "Should I know him?" Ancillary content, including a video of Cameli winking at the camera, has also been released.

Since debuting earlier this week, the main PSL video has generated over 10 million views on Starbucks' Instagram page. The campaign is running across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, and YouTube Shorts.

Broader Marketing Push and Context

Beyond the social media effort, Starbucks is also airing a 30-second television spot titled "There's Only One PSL." This ad celebrates user-generated content from fans and creators and includes a clip from the animated series "Family Guy."

The campaign leverages Stewart's status as a brand marketing fixture and references the established fandom of "Off Campus," a show adapted from popular romance novels. This strategy follows other successful limited-time offerings for the chain. The recent return of the Unicorn Frappuccino led to Starbucks' most successful sales weekend to date in August.

Starbucks' recent financial performance shows momentum. For the quarterly period ended June 28, comparable sales rose 7.9% both in the U.S. and globally. The company has attributed part of this success to service improvements and a revamped loyalty program, which now has 35.8 million active 90-day members in the United States.

Source: Restaurant Dive