Starbucks Chilled Coffee positions itself as Gen Z’s sidekick

Starbucks Chilled Coffee has launched a new EMEA brand platform, WHATEVER YOUR THING, we’re in, aimed at younger consumers navigating pressure to conform across work, study and online life. Developed by AMV BBDO, the campaign positions the ready-to-drink coffee brand as a companion to individuality and self-expression rather than a functional energy product.

The campaign is built around research commissioned by Starbucks Chilled Coffee, which found that 88 percent of Gen Z and young millennials across Spain, the UK and Germany hold back at least one part of themselves to fit in. The study also found that 93 percent feel pressure to tone themselves down in at least one setting, particularly at work or while studying.

Starbucks Chilled Coffee shifts category positioning

Starbucks Chilled Coffee said the platform is designed to move the ready-to-drink coffee conversation away from functional energy messaging and toward supporting consumers’ personal interests and identities.

The campaign includes a hero film featuring longboard skater Jikal Hassan, filmed in a cinematic style as he moves through different moments in the city. Starbucks Chilled Coffee appears throughout the film as a supporting presence rather than the focal point.

The research also highlighted the emotional effects of self-editing, with 52 percent of respondents reporting a daily drop in mood or energy. Among those respondents, 85 percent associated the experience with physical fatigue and 84 percent with emotional exhaustion.

AMV BBDO focuses on individuality and self-expression

AMV BBDO led the campaign alongside Edelman, Carat and BD, with activity spanning social, out-of-home, shopper marketing and audiovisual channels across EMEA markets.

Paul Dolan, Professor of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics and Political Science: “We often drift away from the goals, people and experiences that genuinely matter to us because of social pressures, comparisons with others and the demands of modern life. Behavioural science shows that people thrive best when they allocate their time and attention to what might be called ‘their thing’. The challenge isn’t always about finding it but, rather, protecting it.”

Charlotta Oldham, marketing director EMEA, Starbucks Chilled Coffee: “Starbucks has always been at its best when it brings people together with what they love. Our new platform, ‘WHATEVER YOUR THING, we’re in’, reimagines Starbucks Chilled Coffee as the companion to personal passions and reinforces the need to protect ‘your thing’.”

Campaign to support long-term EMEA growth

Starbucks Chilled Coffee said the platform is intended to scale across EMEA markets as part of its long-term category growth strategy.

Charlotta Oldham: “As the ready-to-drink category continues to evolve across EMEA, we see significant headroom for growth by creating clearer differentiation and deep relevance in consumers’ daily lives.”

Sam Williams, Strategy Partner, AMV BBDO: “The category typically frames ready-to-drink coffee as providing consumers with the energy that they are lacking. We saw an opportunity to challenge the narrative and position Starbucks Chilled Coffee as the sidekick to a generation already redefining their individuality.”

www.starbuckschilledcoffee.com

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