WHITE WINTER STARBUCKS -- ROSES ARE RED. VIOLETS ARE BLUE. WINTER IS WHITE.

TitleWHITE WINTER STARBUCKS -- ROSES ARE RED. VIOLETS ARE BLUE. WINTER IS WHITE.
BrandSTARBUCKS COFFEE JAPAN
Product / ServiceCHOCOLATE DRINKS
CategoryD01. Retail
EntrantDENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation 2 STARBUCKS COFFEE JAPAN, LTD. TOKYO, JAPAN
Idea Creation 3 SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICECO.,LTD. Hiroshima, JAPAN
PR DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS Tokyo, JAPAN
Idea Creation DENTSU PUBLIC RELATIONS Tokyo, JAPAN
Contributing NOMURA Tokyo, JAPAN

Credits

Name Company Position
Takanori Maeda Dentsu Public Relations Inc. Director
Yusuke Matsuo Dentsu Public Relations Inc. Planner
Makoto Tanijiri SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICECo.,Ltd. Architect
Ai Yoshida SUPPOSE DESIGN OFFICECo.,Ltd. Architect
Masako Eto Nomura Duo Co. Ltd. Art Administrator
Norio Adachi Starbucks Coffee Japan, Ltd. Client
Mio Tsuzuki Starbucks Coffee Japan, Ltd. Client
Takahiro Inoue Starbucks Coffee Japan, Ltd. Client

The Campaign

Providing customers with a special experience has always been a key concept for Starbucks. Returning to this principle, we decided to counter rival Valentine's Day campaigns by avoiding traditional Valentine’s colors like red and pink, and abandoning the lively, love heart aesthetic of Valentine’s Day to create a serene, wintry mood. With "white" as the keyword, Starbucks decided to try a fresh approach with a new concept store: White Winter Starbucks concept store.

Creative Execution

In just half a day, Starbucks completely transformed its store near Shinjuku Station—the world’s busiest transport hub, used by over 360 million people each day. The first step was simulating the silence of winter. As snow creates a tranquil atmosphere through the absorption of sound, the company employed sound-dampening materials used in recording studios to recreate this effect, applying some 3,000 panels for a glacial silence. Background music was eliminated, except for selected spots where directional speakers quietly projected a winter soundscape of rustling trees and gentle bells. Visually, snow was evoked using fluffy white fittings, and ceiling decorations with a snowy mountain motif. For a limited time, the normally green Starbucks logo became gleaming white.

Indication of how successful the outcome was in the market

The story started trending immediately, as posts about “White Starbucks," the store, and the new drinks quickly spread on social media, with over 100,000 Tweets, and comments like "Went to White Starbucks” and "Totally chill-able store." TV shows reported "Just like snow!" and “White Starbucks opens!" with over 500 pieces of media coverage across TV, newspapers and online. Away from the concept store itself, Japan’s 1,100+ Starbucks stores reported a year-on-year increase of 136% in sales from seasonal drinks and 135% in actual units sold—equivalent to 115% of the firm’s sales goal for the period. White Winter Starbucks generated conversation between partners and customers nationwide, as the Starbucks brand promise to promote "Moments of Connection" enhanced partner motivation. Despite concerns that the lack of a Valentine’s Day message might risk losing previous campaign gains, Starbucks’ unique, Japan-only winter experience helped to strengthen the perception that winter=Starbucks.

Seeking to increase sales of its new chocolate beverages and boost winter mind share, Starbucks created the White Winter Starbucks concept store. This special experience, inspired by snow, was available for only a limited time at one specially chosen Starbucks store. In addition to white visual elements, the design incorporated noise reduction, encouraging customers to use all five senses to experience this one-of-a-kind store.