Starbucks is rolling out the red — or orange — carpet for Taylor Swift’s latest album release this weekend with several in-store and digital experiences catering to fans of the pop star, according to a press release.
To celebrate “The Life of a Showgirl,” the coffee chain is hosting what it bills as “the largest global listening party” for the new record, Swift’s twelfth original studio album. Participating stores will play both “The Life of a Showgirl” and a curated Starbucks Lovers playlist.
In Nashville, Tennessee, a city that has factored heavily into Swift’s career, the QSR is also outfitting a location with Starbies branding, along with a pop-up vinyl shop, photo booth and Swiftie-tailored offerings like friendship bracelets — a fixture on the star’s recent Eras Tour — and glitter-dusted cold foam drinks (glitter and the color orange are visual themes of “The Life of a Showgirl”).
On the digital front, the brand shared social posts around the “The Life of a Showgirl” with hidden Easter eggs. The first 113,000 members of Starbucks Rewards who spotted the Swift references unlocked a free drink, another bid to drive traffic around the much-hyped Oct. 3 album drop.
Starbucks previously partnered with Swift around “Red (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021, a promotion that included a custom latte order favored by the “Karma” singer, as well as themed stickers and e-gift cards.
Swift album cycles have dependably become marketing frenzies for brands that view the artist’s wide, dedicated fandom as a means to bolster online engagement and spur sales. Reese’s turned around an ad in under 24 hours after Swift unveiled “The Life of a Showgirl” in August on the “New Heights” podcast, which the candy marketer sponsors. The spot, which promoted a collaboration with Oreo and featured nods to Swift, quickly racked up millions of views.
In Starbucks’ case, the pop culture-forward activation comes amid a larger turnaround push that has seen the coffee giant invest more in marketing and revamping its brick-and-mortar experience. The company in September said it would close roughly 400 company-operated stores and enacted another round of corporate job cuts.
