Dive Brief:
- Starbucks is marketing the return of the Pumpkin Spice Latte with a social-first push bolstered by the star power of Martha Stewart and “Off Campus” breakout Belmont Cameli, according to a press release.
- In the ads, Stewart alludes to the perception that PSLs appeal to basic tastes while extolling her love for the drink. She then encounters Cameli, asking “Should I know him?” after he comments on her order.
- Since debuting earlier this week, the PSL video has generated over 10 million views on Starbucks’ Instagram page. Beyond the social elements, the coffee chain is rolling out a 30-second TV spot that hypes PSL’s return and showcases user-generated content.
Dive Insight:
Starbucks’ focus on specialty drinks has expanded, but the PSL remains a signature menu item that, for many customers, doubles as a sign that autumn is around the corner. The PSL has developed deeper lifestyle associations and a place in online meme culture, with content frequently knocking the limited-time offering as a sign that the drinker is “basic,” or has cookie-cutter taste.
For its latest campaign around the PSL, Starbucks posits that basic isn’t necessarily a bad thing, with Stewart — who the release describes as “the queen of fall and keeping it real” — as the message’s mouthpiece. The PSL returned to stores Aug. 25.
“Oh, Pumpkin Spice Latte? The drink that makes us all a little more basic?” Stewart asks in the video before shrugging. “This smells like my house in the fall. It’s perfect.”
Stewart then encounters Cameli, who portrays a hunky hockey player on Amazon Prime Video’s hit show “Off Campus.” Cameli notes that Stewart ordering her drink hot is in-character — he orders his iced — and she humorously brushes him off. Anomaly, Starbuck’s U.S. creative agency, is behind the campaign, which appears across Instagram, TikTok, Facebook and YouTube Shorts.
Ancillary content, including a video where Cameli repeatedly winks at the camera, has garnered strong engagement as well. Stewart has become a fixture of brand marketers in recent years while the “Off Campus” allusions speak to the power of referencing a piece of pop culture with an established fandom. Adapted from a popular series of romance novels, “Off Campus” is part of a larger trend of steamy shows centered on hockey.
In addition to the celebrity-led social push, Starbucks is running a new TV spot that celebrates fans and creators who have gotten inventive in expressing their love for the latte through UGC. “There’s Only One PSL” also splices in a clip from “Family Guy.”
Recent LTO bets have paid off for Starbucks. The return of the Unicorn Frappuccino, a brightly colored concoction that originally debuted in 2017, led to the brand’s most successful sales weekend to date earlier in August.
Starbucks has been in turnaround mode in 2026. Comparable sales, an important measure of restaurant health, rose 7.9% both in the U.S. and at the global level for the quarterly period ended June 28, results that led Starbucks to raise its full-year guidance. Service improvements and a revamped loyalty program, which now reaches 35.8 million active 90-day members in the U.S., contributed to the momentum.
