Starbucks collaborates with "Journey to the West" to open a new door to coffee delivery with "Frozen Latte"!

There are endless cross-border collaborations. Why does the collaboration between Starbucks and Journey to the West stand out from the crowd? This article will show you the considerations behind this collaboration.

If we were to select classic Chinese cartoons, "Havoc in Heaven" would definitely be on the list. This color animated feature film, produced between 1961 and 1964, is the "light of Chinese animation" that has influenced generations of people. The chivalrous Monkey King, Sun Wukong, has always been a superhero in the hearts of every generation of Chinese children.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the full production of the animation "Journey to the West", Starbucks brought its own frozen latte series to play a cross-dimensional collaboration with it - from creative products that can "transform" during delivery, fun peripherals with the voice-over of the Monkey King, to the ordering interface and rider costumes full of "Journey to the West flavor", many young consumers have gained multiple experiences and emotional value in the process of revisiting the classics.

As a leading brand in the coffee industry, how did Starbucks use its brand core to attract Generation Z consumers? There are endless cross-border collaborations, so why did Starbucks' collaboration with "Havoc in Heaven" stand out from the crowd? Let's take a closer look at this collaboration and see what the considerations behind it are.

1. Insight into the advanced needs of food delivery scenarios, and successfully break through with "a breath of fairy air" as the entry point

In the beverage industry, cross-border collaboration is a very popular and mature way of playing. However, compared with the "pan-collaboration" tactics that advocate rapid changes and innovation, Starbucks has always maintained a very clear collaboration strategy and a stable collaboration rhythm, and will never deviate from the core of coffee culture.

Take the collaboration with "Journey to the West" for example. In addition to the influence of the two parties and the compatibility of the crowds, Starbucks focused on the "coffee delivery scene" , insight into and satisfaction of consumers' advanced needs in the coffee delivery scene.

For a long time, coffee delivery has three major pain points: spillage, temperature, and easy dispersion of milk foam. Major brands have also tried to use "anti-spillage takeaway cup lids" and "special delivery boxes" to solve the problems in the delivery process. Starbucks has provided the industry with a new idea - "online exclusive supply" tailored for takeaway customers, integrating the delivery process into an extension of the product production process.

The picture comes from the Internet

In fact, as early as last August, on the fifth anniversary of Starbucks Delivery, Starbucks launched the first coffee "born for delivery", which triggered a check-in craze on social media. This time, Starbucks chose "a breath of fairy air" as the entry point for cooperation to launch the new "Frozen Latte" in the Starbucks Delivery Time and Space series, and wanted to convey the difference of this series in a more concrete way.

It is understood that this series of coffee clouds, milk and cream will gradually be layered and condensed during the 20-minute delivery process, and will be delivered to consumers in a clearly layered state with just the right appearance and flavor, just like being blown by the Monkey King. Sun Wukong's signature skill of 72 transformations, coupled with the new coffee species that can "transform" along the way, makes the cross-border business bring novelty and topicality, successfully attracting the attention of young consumers.

2. Strengthen the creative core with diversified experiences and establish emotional connections with Generation Z through communication

In fact, superficial entry into young culture and social trends can only bring temporary excitement. If you want to occupy a place among young people for a long time, you must enter their life scenes and consumption scenes. Therefore, from the beginning of choosing the entry point of "a breath of fairy air", Starbucks has already departed from the idea of ​​taking advantage of the youth hotspot for a short time, and is seriously planning a strategy to accompany young people for a long time.

In order to meet the taste preferences of takeaway customers, Starbucks worked with a third-party takeaway platform to use big data to accurately determine consumers' dessert taste preferences, and thus selected French caramel and rum chocolate , two flavors with the potential to "go viral". The slightly frozen coffee drink characteristics after delivery, as well as the creative drinking method of stirring and sipping, also invisibly raised the value of this joint venture. Many new users attracted by "Havoc in Heaven" were attracted to Starbucks because of this joint venture attitude of "better understanding what young people need and like".

At the same time, Starbucks has also found that more and more consumers are beginning to pay attention to the "added value of delivery consumption scenarios", so in addition to the innovation of the product itself, the brand also launched many highly talked-about peripherals in this collaboration: Starbucks embedded an exclusive golden cloud design in the ordering interface, as if this cup of coffee is coming on a somersault cloud.

It is reported that starting from this weekend, more than 2,000 exclusive riders of Star Delivery in many cities across the country will transform into "Monkey King" . These small details are very popular.

To complement the “Frozen” latte series’ drink highlight of being stirred and sipped, Starbucks also specially designed the “Monkey King Style” – the golden hoop from the Monkey King show . The sound, light and electricity version comes with unique dubbing of the Monkey King, such as “The Great King is coming out”, “I am the Monkey King”, “I, Old Sun, am not someone who can be bullied”, etc. The classic lines have inspired young people’s enthusiasm for interaction and self-propagation, truly realizing a two-way journey between the brand and young people.

The picture comes from the Internet

3. Continue to break boundaries, promote coffee innovation, and firmly grasp the hearts of the new generation of consumers

Looking back at the entire collaboration of Starbucks, it is not difficult to summarize the reasons why it can impress young people. In essence, it is because the brand is constantly embracing change and can continuously understand and respond to the needs of young consumers.

In the coffee industry, Starbucks represents the "third space". When customers consume in the store, they not only pay for the coffee, but also pay for the premium of social space and service experience.

In order to continue to attract the new generation of users, Starbucks has also focused on the experience of delivery scenes : the "flowing frozen latte that changes along the way" meets the needs of young consumers for coffee taste and quality. Details such as the timing module, thoughtful delivery, and random handwritten greetings on paper cups also make delivery more warm and further enhance the sense of ritual in delivery consumption.

At the marketing and communication level, Starbucks also constantly responds to high-level needs such as group interests, emotions, and feelings, and cleverly turns the pain points in the coffee delivery scene into its own differentiated advantages. For example, the cooperation with "Havoc in Heaven" grasped the emotional resonance between this classic story and young people, and delivered the differentiated value of the "Time and Space" series through the superheroes exclusive to Chinese people, continuously broadening the road of innovation and successfully leading a new trend in the industry.

We believe that the cooperation with "Journey to the West" is just an opportunity. Starbucks will continue to increase the value of its delivery coffee and bring us more surprises.

Author: Mr. Bingfa WeChat public account: Marketing Bingfa