- Starbucks debuted its 2025 holiday marketing campaign, depicting the journey of two characters drawn on coffee cups with markers who find an emotional spark, per details shared with Marketing Dive.
- “Drawn Together” is soundtracked by “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles)” by The Proclaimers while the minimalist animation was created by Geoff McFetridge. The 60-second spot showcases Starbucks’ latest holiday cups, which were designed by the chain’s in-house creative studio, and closes on the tagline “Together is the perfect place to be.”
- The seasonal campaign was developed by Stagwell creative agency Anomaly and can appear during major broadcast TV and movie moments in Q4, including the CMAs, the “Saturday Night Live” Christmas special and showings of “Wicked: For Good,” “Avatar: Fire and Ash” and “Marty Supreme.”
“Drawn Together” spotlights several initiatives Starbucks has embraced as a part of its turnaround strategy, reminiscent of baristas writing more personalized messages on customer orders and a push to reclaim stores as cozy “third places” for prolonged social gathering. The holidays are a serious marketing moment for the coffee giant with the discharge of limited-time menus and a decadeslong concentrate on cups carrying festive motifs (this 12 months, green-and-red gift ribbons and checkered patterns).
As with many holiday ads, Starbucks’ latest campaign leans right into a sentimental tone, showing two animated characters who find a right away connection after being drawn by a barista, but then are separated as Starbucks orders pile up, with a line of coffees creating distance between them. They then enterprise across the brand’s colourful seasonal cups, skiing and trudging through cartoon blizzards before linking hands, a moment of reunion that’s mirrored in a real-world couple because the spot concludes. The feel-good story is backed by “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” an everlasting, earwormy hit by The Proclaimers.
“We’ve woven together elements which are unique to Starbucks — from the cozy coffeehouse atmosphere to the hand-drawn illustrations that animate on our iconic holiday cups,” said Tressie Lieberman, Starbucks global chief brand officer, in a press statement across the launch. “Every detail was thoughtfully designed to evoke the heat and togetherness that a visit to Starbucks brings.”
“Drawn Together” follows a Starbucks holiday ad last 12 months, “‘Drink In, Breathe Out,” that used stop-motion animation. That campaign ran in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Anomaly won Starbucks’ U.S. creative business at first of the 12 months, aligning with a bigger turnaround push that has seen the brand invest more in marketing. Spark handled media duties on “Drawn Together” while Conscious Minds led the social elements of the campaign.
Starbucks’ efforts to return to growth under CEO Brian Niccol have began to show some promising signs. Same-store sales, a very important metric of restaurant health, were flat in North America for the corporate’s fiscal Q4 2025, breaking a protracted stretch of quarterly declines.
That said, challenges remain ahead for the Frappuccino purveyor in Q4. Consumers are pulling back on spending due to economic pressures, a trend that has rattled many QSRs. Starbucks can also be facing a possible strike next week if it could’t agree to a finalized contract with union members. The strike could be timed to Red Cup Day on Nov. 13, typically a heavy day for foot traffic since the brand gives out free reusable cups.
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