Jason Kessler

Starbucks

For more than a decade, Starbucks has made the holidays even more rewarding with a gaming experience that offers customers the chance to win big with free products, gift cards, and even Starbucks for Life — although “life” is capped at 30 years, which feels a little bit dark to me. For the holiday 2025 edition, Starbucks partnered with my team at AKQA to overhaul the entire program. We created a brand new immersive game experience (the Starbucks for Life Merrython), an asset toolkit for the Go-To-Market campaign, a microsite with original hand-drawn illustrations, and even an internal hype video to transform the Starbucks for Life Merrython into a can’t-miss cultural moment that drives sales, increases brand love, and paves the way for the future of the program. With an eleventh-hour addition of the viral Bearista (IYKYK), we made a splash with tons of organic media pickup and a major boost in signups for Starbucks Rewards that went well beyond expectations. Not bad for a festive little coffee run.