Iris Case Studies Starbucks' #WhatsYourName Campaign: A Case Study in Diversity and Inclusion

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	Starbucks' #WhatsYourName Campaign: A Case Study in Diversity and Inclusion Iris

Starbucks' #WhatsYourName Campaign: A Case Study in Diversity and Inclusion

Iris

Technology Category	Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms
Applicable Industries	Retail
Applicable Functions	Sales & Marketing
Use Cases	Retail Store Automation Time Sensitive Networking
Challenge	The Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award for the year was centered around the theme of challenging the lack of representation and stereotyping of the LGBT+ community in advertising. The insight that only 0.3% of TV adverts feature a transgender person, despite the community making up an estimated 1% of the population, presented an opportunity for Starbucks to re-ignite itself as a progressive brand. Starbucks had a strong heritage with the LGBT+ community and the challenge was to build on this heritage and address the lack of representation in advertising. The campaign needed to focus on the importance of identity and acceptance, and bring to life Starbucks’ signature act of writing people’s names on cups in a powerful way. Read More
About Customer	The customer in this case study is Starbucks, a multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves. Starbucks is known for its strong brand and its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The company has a history of supporting the LGBT+ community and has often used its platform to promote social issues. In this case, Starbucks saw an opportunity to further its commitment to diversity and inclusion by addressing the lack of representation of the transgender community in advertising. The company used its signature act of writing people’s names on cups as a powerful symbol of identity and acceptance. Read More
Solution	The solution was the integrated brand campaign, #whatsyourname, which focused on the importance of identity and acceptance. The campaign took Starbucks’ signature act of writing people’s names on cups and brought it to life in a powerful way. The campaign was built on the insight that members of the transgender community often try out their new identity for the first time in a Starbucks store – an open and safe space where they feel welcomed. Using the £1 million media awarded from Channel 4, Starbucks was able to give airtime to this under-represented community and tell their unique stories. The campaign included a 60-second TV ad that depicted the challenges of a transgender person named 'James' who was transitioning and did not identify with his birth-name 'Jemma'. The campaign also included 'Moving Portraits' that gave a platform to real trans people to tell the stories behind their chosen names. Read More Log in to view content
Contents

Technology Category

Platform as a Service (PaaS) - Application Development Platforms

Applicable Industries

Retail

Applicable Functions

Sales & Marketing

Use Cases

Retail Store Automation

Time Sensitive Networking

Challenge

The Channel 4’s Diversity in Advertising Award for the year was centered around the theme of challenging the lack of representation and stereotyping of the LGBT+ community in advertising. The insight that only 0.3% of TV adverts feature a transgender person, despite the community making up an estimated 1% of the population, presented an opportunity for Starbucks to re-ignite itself as a progressive brand. Starbucks had a strong heritage with the LGBT+ community and the challenge was to build on this heritage and address the lack of representation in advertising. The campaign needed to focus on the importance of identity and acceptance, and bring to life Starbucks’ signature act of writing people’s names on cups in a powerful way.

About Customer

The customer in this case study is Starbucks, a multinational chain of coffeehouses and roastery reserves. Starbucks is known for its strong brand and its commitment to diversity and inclusion. The company has a history of supporting the LGBT+ community and has often used its platform to promote social issues. In this case, Starbucks saw an opportunity to further its commitment to diversity and inclusion by addressing the lack of representation of the transgender community in advertising. The company used its signature act of writing people’s names on cups as a powerful symbol of identity and acceptance.

Solution

The solution was the integrated brand campaign, #whatsyourname, which focused on the importance of identity and acceptance. The campaign took Starbucks’ signature act of writing people’s names on cups and brought it to life in a powerful way. The campaign was built on the insight that members of the transgender community often try out their new identity for the first time in a Starbucks store – an open and safe space where they feel welcomed. Using the £1 million media awarded from Channel 4, Starbucks was able to give airtime to this under-represented community and tell their unique stories. The campaign included a 60-second TV ad that depicted the challenges of a transgender person named 'James' who was transitioning and did not identify with his birth-name 'Jemma'. The campaign also included 'Moving Portraits' that gave a platform to real trans people to tell the stories behind their chosen names.

Impact #1	The #whatsyourname campaign was a significant success for Starbucks, both in terms of its reception and its impact. The campaign was able to effectively highlight the importance of identity and acceptance, and it resonated strongly with the audience, as evidenced by the high TV completion viewing rate and the overwhelmingly positive sentiment in media coverage. The campaign also won several awards, further attesting to its success. Moreover, the campaign helped Starbucks to strengthen its brand as a progressive and inclusive company, and it demonstrated the company's commitment to supporting under-represented communities. The partnership with the charity Mermaids, which offers support to the young transgender community and their families, further extended Starbucks' support for the transgender community.

Impact #1

The #whatsyourname campaign was a significant success for Starbucks, both in terms of its reception and its impact. The campaign was able to effectively highlight the importance of identity and acceptance, and it resonated strongly with the audience, as evidenced by the high TV completion viewing rate and the overwhelmingly positive sentiment in media coverage. The campaign also won several awards, further attesting to its success. Moreover, the campaign helped Starbucks to strengthen its brand as a progressive and inclusive company, and it demonstrated the company's commitment to supporting under-represented communities. The partnership with the charity Mermaids, which offers support to the young transgender community and their families, further extended Starbucks' support for the transgender community.

Benefit #1	97.5% TV completion viewing rate
Benefit #2	99% Positive sentiment in media coverage
Benefit #3	Awards from D&AD, Creative Circle, NY Ad Awards & more

Benefit #1

97.5% TV completion viewing rate

Benefit #2

99% Positive sentiment in media coverage

Benefit #3

Awards from D&AD, Creative Circle, NY Ad Awards & more

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Overview

Starbucks' #WhatsYourName Campaign: A Case Study in Diversity and Inclusion

Operational Impact

Quantitative Benefit