Starbucks rolled out the red — or orange — carpet for Taylor Swift’s latest album release last 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 hosted what it billed as “the largest global listening party” for the new record, Swift’s twelfth original studio album. Participating stores played 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 outfitted 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.
