Nitro Cold Brew Launch
Starbucks Nitro Cold Brew is created with slow-steeped signature Cold Brew and infused with nitrogen as it pours from the tap. Nitrogen infusion creates microbubbles, giving the coffee a velvety-smooth and cascading texture. For its national launch across Starbucks stores in the United States, a creative direction for the campaign was developed, covering work spanning across print, digital, film and in-store activations.
At the time of launch, Nitro coffee was popular in coastal cities but remained relatively unheard of in large parts of the country. This meant that the launch moment needed to be educational and exciting, conceptualizing ways to describe the taste and texture of the beverage through visuals and emotive language. The goal was to give customers a reason to give this new drink a try.
At the time of launch, Nitro coffee was popular in coastal cities but remained relatively unheard of in large parts of the country. This meant that the launch moment needed to be educational and exciting, conceptualizing ways to describe the taste and texture of the beverage through visuals and emotive language. The goal was to give customers a reason to give this new drink a try.
Research showed that first-time Nitro drinkers were often pleasantly surprised at the smooth and sweet qualities of the drink, even without the addition of sweeteners or creamer. For the national launch, the team drew attention to this moment of discovery by calling the campaign “Whoa Nitro”.
Visuals were built around this concept, using bright colors and prismatic gradients to evoke the sense of surprise and wonder at that “first sip” feeling, while bold typography was used to speak to Nitro Cold Brew’s coffee-forward taste and energy-boosting qualities. Black and white textural moments inspired by lab and scientific imagery nod towards the key ingredient in the drink: Nitrogen.
Visuals were built around this concept, using bright colors and prismatic gradients to evoke the sense of surprise and wonder at that “first sip” feeling, while bold typography was used to speak to Nitro Cold Brew’s coffee-forward taste and energy-boosting qualities. Black and white textural moments inspired by lab and scientific imagery nod towards the key ingredient in the drink: Nitrogen.
