Social / TikTok / Creators

Starbucks: TikTok Launch

In July 2022 we launched Starbucks Romania on TikTok with five Romanian creators, each turning one summer drink into their own craft: a dance, a song, a makeup look, a digital artwork and an outfit.

Client: Starbucks Romania (AmRest Coffee)
Brands: Starbucks, Caramel Frappuccino, Banana Split Frappuccino, Strawberry Açaí Refresha, Pink Drink, Passionfruit & Raspberry Frappuccino
Year: 2022
Markets: Romania
What we did: TikTok strategy, Idea, Creators, Scripts, Production, Channel launch, Paid media

Starbucks Romania wanted to open on TikTok with its summer 2022 drinks. We recommended original Romanian content built on TikTok trends over localised global content. Two unofficial accounts were already using the Starbucks name, so we worked with Starbucks and TikTok to clear the way. Then @starbucks.romania went up as Starbucks Romania’s first official TikTok account.

We showed Starbucks three routes in May. They first liked the one built on a transition from holiday to city, but another brand was on air with very similar transitions at the time. We argued for the route with the drinks in focus and the local feel coming from the creators, and Starbucks agreed on 30 May. The summer drinks come in holiday colours, so we asked five Romanian creators to turn one drink each into their own craft.

Simona Mereu turned the Caramel Frappuccino into a dance. Robert Cristian built a track around the Banana Split Frappuccino on his synths. Corina Ionescu did a Strawberry Açaí Refresha makeup look, Eliana Bogdan drew a Pink Drink artwork on her tablet, and Sabina Teodora styled pink summer looks after the Passionfruit & Raspberry Frappuccino.

Simona Mereu tastes a Caramel Frappuccino and turns it into a dance.

Every film follows one script: a sip in a Starbucks café, a transition through the cup into the craft, then back to the café with the finished work. We shot the café scenes at Starbucks Universitate in Bucharest on 6 July 2022, and gave each craft a setting of its own. Two of the first creators dropped out in June, which is how Corina and Eliana joined, and three of the five drinks changed a week before the shoot, for stock reasons.

Eliana Bogdan draws a Pink Drink inspired artwork on her tablet; with 985.9K views it was the best-performing launch video.

There was no teaser. Simona’s dance went up first. Each TikTok ran as an Instagram Reel the same day, and paid media, from 25 July, kept the videos going through the summer. On TikTok each video carried a hook line on screen. Robert’s asked: “If Banana Split were a song, what would it sound like?”