In order to spark renewed attention for a beverage that’s been covered from nearly every angle, media were given a rare look at its humble origins. Starbucks often lets taste speak for itself, but for this monumental moment, PSL co-creator Peter Dukes opened up about the story of its creation. And media drank it up. At an immersive, invitation-only event at Starbucks NYC roastery, we brought select Canadian journalists to get a taste of history. They had the unique opportunity to meet Dukes and look under the lid of the Starbucks development process, generating stories that brought a personal perspective to the cultural phenomenon.
To whet more appetites across Canada, we incorporated news of the 20th birthday intolong-lead outreach announcing the fall lineup, along with little-known tidbits around thePSL’s inception and history. This let us use the moment to start conversations aroundthe range of new beverages that would be joining it on the roster. A short-lead nationalpitch was grounded in 20 fun facts about the PSL – for instance, did you know it wasalmost called the “Fall Harvest Latte” or that in 2022, Merriam-Webster officially added“pumpkin spice” to the dictionary? At the same time, we leaned into the hype withlimited-run products that customers could snag to wear their PSL love on their sleeves:funky temporary tattoos and a fresh fall jacket courtesy of a collaboration withKidSuper.
But the PSL’s popularity is due to more than just the brilliant beverage scientists who developed it. We wanted to celebrate the tastemakers who’ve always been proud to share the latte love. Our solution was a refined spin on the coveted Starbucks gold card, creating bespoke metal cards in the signature PSL orange to provide direct liquid-to-lips opportunities with Canadian creators. And in Quebec, we spiced things up even more by sending creators a unique PSL merch from local fashion house PONY.
