Pumpkin spice memories
Pumpkin spice announcements? It must be autumn. At the end of August, coffee shops bring out their fall drinks. While the season does not officially start until Sept 21, many people see the release of all things pumpkin spice as the start of fall. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the pumpkin spice latte at Starbucks. The trend began in the coffee chain, and love it or hate it, the popularity is a good example of a successful branding effort.
The flavor is now not just limited to Starbucks, or even coffee. The PSL was released in 2003, but since then, the flavor has expanded to new – and strange – heights. There’s pumpkin spice popcorn, pumpkin spice scented garbage bags, pumpkin spice toilet paper, pumpkin spice body wipes, pumpkin spice cheese, pumpkin deodorant and even pumpkin spice scented dog shampoo and cat litter.
New at the time
“When you go back twenty years ago, there was nothing like this on the market at the time,” said Peter Dukes in an interview with Food & Wine. Dukes was the then-leader of Starbucks’ espresso team, and basically the founder of PSL.
Focus groups were not super excited about the potential of pumpkin flavored coffee, but they still showed interest and the team flew with it. What we now know as the Pumpkin Spice Latte was originally marketed as the Fall Harvest Latte. While it was changed, the idea of creating a drink to help evoke feelings of cozy togetherness and reminders of a traditional holiday treat is a genius idea.
The PSL was meant to be a short-term seasonal drink, rotated on the menu for just a few years, but social media’s rise a few years after the release helped the popularity of the beverage soar to become a signature drink.
Chances and risk can pay off
The long lines at Starbucks at the end of August (and gatherings at other coffee shops that have taken a hint from the OG) are proof that sometimes you have to try something new. Some may say it’s gotten a bit out of hand, but for marketers and small businesses, it can be a good sense of inspiration. What was a risk at the time led to a super popular product and retail category. And it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. “I’ve been proud of it all along,” Dukes said in the Food & Wine article. “It’s just fun — it’s a fun beverage.”
Sometimes for businesses, having fun and doing something you believe in leads to success. The PSL and all pumpkin spice things that followed prove that even things that some may see as odd or basic can find fans with the right audience. And though social media is constantly changing, it still remains a great way to get your product or service out there, helping brand it as something the right group needs in their lives.
Stephanie Sokol
Digital Content Manager