Millennials Love These Three Words!

If you’re a part of the millennial generation then you probably know exactly three words I’m talking about. Need another hint? What comes to mind when I say “fall beverage”? If you haven’t guessed it, then let me direct you to its Twitter page: @TheRealPSL. That’s right, Starbucks created a Twitter account for their popular Fall drink, the Pumpkin Spice Latte.

The other day I came across an American Marketing Association article all about pumpkin-spice-flavored products and was amazed at Starbuck’s fun promotion strategy.  “Starbucks has sold more than 200 million pumpkin spice lattes over the past 11 years, and this year, Starbucks’ kicked off its “PSL” promotions in late August with an integrated marketing campaign that included in-store signage, print ads, and a millennial-friendly Twitter handle,” the article states. “If the pumpkin spice craze seems stronger than ever, it’s for good reason: Seasonal offerings are a powerful marketing hook and help stoke consumers’ year-round interest in the brands that offer them, experts say.”

The article goes on to argue that specially flavored offerings help boost brand affinity. As a millennial myself, I agree completely!  I love Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte (actually sipped one early today) and anything that screams Fall.  Whenever I hear, think or see pumpkin I think of Starbuck’s delicious Fall drink.  Two seconds ago, I just asked our Marketing Specialist, Rissaliz (who is also a millennial), “When I say pumpkin what do you think of?” she answers, “spiced latte”.  It’s quite clear that Starbucks has succeeded in boosting their brand affinity through specially flavored offerings.

A company would be smart to follow in Starbuck’s footsteps; creating high demand for their product leading to an increase in brand awareness.  If you need an extra push, I highly recommend a Pumpkin Spice Latte!