In the ‘90s, Starbucks was known as a place to sit and linger over a cup of coffee. Now, the coffee giant is encouraging its customers to take their coffee to go as part of their exercise routines. In May, Starbucks announced a nationwide partnership with fitness app Strava, asking participants to walk 22 minutes a day for at least 10 days for a chance to win a Starbucks-branded weighted vest made in collaboration with designer Kahlana Barfield Brown.
“When we think about just the broad context of wellness, which is obviously extended beyond prototypical fitness brands, we wanted to partner with a brand that had a similar brand ethos and a community focus and really focused on humans,” said Brian Smith, senior director of brand marketing for North American coffee partnership for Starbucks, regarding the Strava challenge, which serves to promote Starbucks’ ready-to-drink coffee protein beverages. “The No. 2 sport on [Strava] is walking, which is very much a democratized, inclusive form of wellness. It makes a lot of sense for Starbucks to insert into those wellness moments.”
Such a partnership is reflective not just of how Starbucks has had to update its offerings from classic java to wellness-adjacent products like protein cold foam, but also of how brands are experimenting with new mediums like Reddit, Substack and IRL pop-ups to engage consumers — better yet if those marketing activations feature activities that fit into consumers’ increasingly fitness-oriented lifestyles. Strava, the San Francisco-based fitness tracker that filed for an IPO in January, is attempting to answer the call.
