What kind of sparks will Starbucks collide with Sun Wukong?
On January 16th, Starbucks teamed up with Shanghai Fine Arts Film Studio to launch a latte that will transform into a national animation IP called "Big Trouble in the Heavenly Palace". What's even more interesting is that this new drink can also be customized with a Da Nao Tian Gong Jin Hoop (drink straw), and the sound and light version comes with a unique voice over of the Qi Tian Da Sheng. The phrases "I am the Qi Tian Da Sheng" and "My old grandson is not easy to bully" instantly awaken the beautiful memories of childhood. Many netizens have posted this co branded coffee on social media platforms for the first time.
Screenshot from social media
It is understood that this is a new product in Starbucks' exclusive Star Delivery Time and Space series - the Frozen Latte, which is only designed for delivery. Open the ordering interface of the Special Star Delivery platform, and the homepage is embedded with an exclusive golden light auspicious cloud design, just like this cup of coffee is stepping on the somersault cloud.
Screenshot from Starbucks APP
A trendy news reporter learned from Starbucks China that starting from this week, more than 2000 exclusive riders from multiple cities across the country will gradually transform into "Qi Tian Da Sheng", wearing cloud shoulders or windproof suits from the Da Sheng series, crossing the streets and alleys, bringing more surprises to customers who order frozen lattes.
So, what are the unique features of this limited delivery frozen latte?
Generally speaking, freshly made coffee from a store may need to consider the loss of temperature or flavor when delivered to customers, but the "mysterious formula" of this frozen latte is precisely the 20 minute delivery time.
When a barista makes a latte, they cleverly mix the classic espresso cloud that has been stirred a thousand times with milk and cream to create a fresh latte; During the delivery process, the coffee cloud and milk gradually layer and freeze; When it arrived at the customer's hands, the coffee was clearly layered, slightly frozen and solidified into a "frozen" latte. At this point, simply stir gently with a straw, take a small sip, and the aroma of latte and the soft Q-pop of coffee jelly will fully bloom on the tip of the tongue.
In fact, as early as August last year, Starbucks innovatively launched a new coffee category exclusively for delivery - the Starbucks Star Delivery Time and Space Series, integrating the delivery process into an extended process of product production, ensuring that customers receive the right flavor when they receive it, thereby breaking the constraints of common beverage flavor loss in the industry's delivery scene.
In 2024, coinciding with the 60th anniversary of the complete production of "The Light of Domestic Animation" and "Da Nao Tian Gong", Starbucks and "Da Nao Tian Gong"'s joint cooperation not only pays tribute to Chinese animation, but also comprehensively combines the image of Qi Tian Da Sheng Sun Wukong from beverage research and development creativity, beverage production, food delivery, and product peripherals, awakening customers' beautiful memories and redefining the food delivery experience.
In recent years, there have been numerous collaborations in the coffee industry, but the collaboration between Starbucks and Chinese local cultural IPs is not common. Some industry insiders believe that this is Starbucks' localization marketing strategy, which also indirectly demonstrates Starbucks' emphasis and confidence in the Chinese coffee market.
In the past decade, the number of Starbucks stores in mainland China has significantly increased. In a new round of growth plans, Starbucks China plans to expand the number of stores in China to 9000 and increase the number of employees to over 90000 by 2025.