Dive Brief:
- Starbucks launched a fresh campaign that enlists TV personality Bill Nye the Science Guy to explain what Nitro Cold Brew coffee is, Adweek and Fast Company reported.
- The "Whoa, Nitro" campaign, created by marketing firm Big Spaceship with Starbucks' in-house creative agency, will include podcasts, TV ads and online videos. Some of the video content will feature Nye, while others will focus only on the drink.
- In each video, Nye focuses on one aspect of the beverage, such as its bubbles or the texture. Six-second versions will be available for sharing on social networks.
Dive Insight:
Teaming with Bill Nye — best known for his science-on-TV demonstrations in the '90s — allows Starbucks to tap into millennial nostalgia as it attempts to educate consumers about nitro cold brew coffee. Marketers have previously found success by using nostalgia to reach millennials, as in recent efforts by KFC, Reebok and Foot Locker.
The new campaign is the latest by Starbucks that attempts to expand its cultural footprint. Earlier this month, for instance, the coffee giant announced a collaboration with Amazon to create and distribute a six-part documentary series about soccer. Those six one-hour episodes, covering the global nature of the sport and available next month on Amazon Prime Video, feature Starbucks as the sole sponsor. As the first major series funded and co-produced by Starbucks, the documentary series helps the brand associate itself with the sport's loyal fans. It's also one of the initial productions from Starbucks' new content production unit, and part of the brand's effort to create and promote relevant content through its stores and regular customers.
Similarly, the new nitro cold brew campaign is as much content as promotion, helping to explain — in Nye's inimitable way — how and why this relatively new Starbucks drink is unique.
It's not the first time Starbucks has attempted to create content or community around one of its drinks. Last fall, for instance, it worked to generate buzz around its fall drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte, in part by creating an exclusive, ad-free Facebook community called the Leaf Rakers Society. The brand registered millions of digital fans who are part of an ongoing community, ready to view and share content about the brand, doubling as a form of sounding board for Starbucks to test fresh content strategies.
