TouchIT

Challenge

When this beloved coffee giant approached BLITZ, they had a Venti-sized challenge. With a recession brewing in the US and consumer confidence low, people were tending to examine their purchase decisions under a microscope. Premium coffee, it seemed, was becoming a luxury item. Starbucks needed to give consumers a compelling reason to pay those premium prices. And they had one.

For years, Starbucks has maintained an exceptional reputation for environmental stewardship and a commitment to the world's coffee farmers. However, their story has been kept within the confines of their Seattle-based headquarters. While the company's Social Responsibility Report is widely regarded as the best and most transparent reporting tool around, it did little to inform the massive Starbucks audience of important endeavors. We set out to change that.

Solution

Our first step was to become experts. What was Starbucks doing to help the planet? Where? Was the program really that great? Well, it turned out Starbucks was doing so much under the public radar, our challenge quickly turned from content to coordination. In short, we had an enormous story. How could we possibly tell it all?

The answer was Starbucks Shared Planet. This online experience broadcast all of the company's eco-friendly initiatives—and made them easily digestible. At a glance, visitors could get a sense of the big picture immediately.  They could also follow the progress of specific Starbucks programs (eco-friendly bean sourcing, for example), interacting with charts, maps and videos along the way. Much like the Social Responsibility Report, Shared Planet was entirely transparent. It was honest. Only now, brought to life online, it was interactive and inspiring—actually encouraging people to get involved by taking our "Mug Pledge" or volunteering time to a number of Starbucks' global causes.

Simply put, Shared Planet is a compelling reason to drink premium coffee.