Photo: Canva | Starbucks
Why Has the Pumpkin Spice Trend Endured?
Starbucks’ Pumpkin Spice Latte, celebrating its 20th anniversary, has become the coffee giant’s most popular seasonal beverage and earns credit for starting the pumpkin spice trend that shows little signs of losing momentum despite many critics.
In a blog entry detailing the seasonal drink’s beginnings, Starbucks noted that the coffee chain in early 2003 was seeking a fall seasonal drink to match the success of winter’s Peppermint Mocha, its first blockbuster seasonal beverage.
In a survey at the time asking what flavors customers would likely purchase, chocolate and caramel beverages regularly came out on top, but pumpkin scored high on “uniqueness.” Further refining the recipe — espresso, pumpkin spice sauce, and steamed milk topped with whipped cream and a dash of pumpkin pie topping — led to pumpkin being the “clear winner” in taste tests.
Starbucks admitted that they “still considered switching it up over the next few years for something new,” but after Facebook and Twitter launched to the general public in 2006, the Pumpkin Spice Latte (or PSL) “took off on a whole new level.”
By the 2010s, pumpkin spice-scented candles, pumpkin spice ham, and other pumpkin creations entered the marketplace; the beverage had its own Twitter and
and Instagram profiles; and everyone from morning talk show hosts to late-night comedians was talking about the pumpkin spice phenomenon. Starbucks wrote, “These days, in the era of TikTok and Instagram Reels, customers share their excitement about fall and their first PSL sips of the season with video reviews and tributes.”
Starbucks didn’t note that many comedians have ridiculed the pumpkin trend since its inception, including John Oliver, who once called Pumpkin Spice Lattes “the coffee that tastes like a candle.” Anti-pumpkin-spice TikTokers and Facebook groups have popped up over the years as pumpkin-flavored Oreos, protein drinks, craft beers, cereals, and body washes have bombarded the marketplace.
However, fans have overwhelmed the online detractors. According to Nielsen, U.S. sales of pumpkin-flavored products in the 12 months ending July 29 reached $802.5 million, up 42% from 2019.
An Ad Age article concludes that despite the potential for fatigue, pumpkin-flavored items have become a fall tradition. Brynna Aylward, executive creative director at the Gut Toronto agency, told the publication, “Pumpkin spice lattes have weirdly become kind of a cultural icon of their own.”
Discussion Questions
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS: Is the pumpkin spice trend’s success across products more about flavor discovery, social media’s viral nature, or a combination of both? What marketing lessons can be gleaned from the trend’s launch and continued momentum?
Poll
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Karen S. Herman
CEO and Disruptive Retail Specialist, Gustie Creative LLC
Neil Saunders
Managing Director, GlobalData
This is part tradition, part because people like products that signify the passing of the seasons, and part because people enjoy the scent and taste of the products. American brands and retailers are very good at capitalizing on occasions and seasonal events – much more so than in many other countries.
https://theweek.com/cartoons/865188/editorial-cartoon-pumpkin-spice-fall-autumn
Just like Santa at the end of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade (or the Macy’s Day Parade as it’s known in my house) heralds the start of the Christmas season, Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Lattes announce the official start of Fall.
I love when retailers create lasting traditions!
PSL is still around because….people like it! The seasonality of the offering makes a connection with customers that is impossible with everyday items. Have a product that people like, make it “calendar scarce” and watch as people order it and order it and order it some more.
Coming back the the question-I think this is 99% product supported a wee bit by marketing. All you need to do to replicate this success is introduce a product so many people want-easy! Hahaha.
A lot of it is about the psychology of a season change and a transition to warm flavors, fall, etc. While it has become the butt of many jokes, the proliferation of Pumpkin Spice everything has happened for a reason – the American public likes it. Of course, don’t get me started on how American’s addiction to sugar and sweets has contributed to this as well. I still don’t get the rationale of consuming a 450 calorie coffee drink!
Starbucks Pumpkin Spice latte is retail therapy in a cup! As a seasonal product, it signals cooler weather and thoughts of the holiday season, offering us comfort and a bit of self-indulgence. Starbucks caters to consumer behavior and pumpkin spice hits the spot. As the 20th anniversary rolls in, pumpkin spice reigns as a staple, not a trend.
In apparel, this would be a conversation about Seasonal Key Items. It would be unthinkable to embark on a seasonal strategy that does not maximize known best sellers.
It’s funny- PSL has become part of the American lexicon and as much as I heard a lot of grumbling early on when it was introduced, we have become accustomed to it as the start of fall. I heard PSL last night being talked about PSL’s with Apple Cider donuts—- I never heard of these- are these a northern thing?>?
Starbucks was a leader, an innovator on the drink front 20 years ago even as a business with a national footprint. The introduction of pumpkin spice struck a happy chord with customers just like peppermint mocha because the smell and flavors revived good feelings and warmth especially as colder weather was setting in. It’s been a hit since, regardless of wide spread media overplay or other versions from coffee chain copycats.
Let’s hope this “trend” stays enough under the radar that success doesn’t turn into excess.(No reindeer smoothies, please !) Fortunately, I think pumpkin has a strongly seasonal connotation that will forestall a contagion.
Seasonality = restricted access. And people want what they can’t get. The marketing genius in this is the fact you can’t get it all year round, and they build lots of hype around it. But you only have a legitimate excuse to build hype if something has limited availability. Gold!
In his book, Howard Schultz talks about the “experience” that Starbucks provides. A pumpkin spice latte is a seasonal “experience” unto itself.
There are millions of Americans who are passionate about Fall. In addition to light frost and colorful foliage, pumpkins contribute to the Fall experience with their taste and scent.
For many of us, Fall represents a nostalgic time of year from our childhood. In the last two decades, pumpkin spice has become an unshakable tradition at Starbucks. – David Biernbaum
Pumpkin spice is an excellent example of how uniqueness and virality combine to create success. Being a unique, seasonal flavor keeps customers looking forward to it throughout the year, and has cemented its place as a seasonal tradition. Social media has certainly helped with its blockbuster status, but it took a combination of elements for pumpkin spice to become the fall tradition it has become today.
For marketers, it serves as a great reminder that you don’t always need a new trend to reach your customers where they want to be – a classic, seasonal staple can be just as successful.