ADWEEK Daily marketing news digest

View in Browser Good morning. Ahead of Starbucks' Q3 earnings call this summer, ADWEEK October cover star Brian Niccol's morning Americano was served with a note scrawled in Sharpie: "You got this." So was it just a nice touch for the boss? Niccol doesn't think so. To him, it's a sign (among other things) that his Back to Starbucks turnaround plan is paying off. If you've visited a Starbucks since he took over, you've probably noticed some changes: the condiment bar is back, the chairs are comfier, and those Sharpie notes might even extend to your dog's Pup Cup (sorry, cat lovers). This is all part of the CMO-turned-CEO's plan to reclaim Starbucks as a "third place." At times, that's felt counterintuitive to the QSR playbook that previously helped him turn around Taco Bell's and Chipotle's fortunes. I sat down with Niccol to find out what's working, what's been harder than he expected, and what's next. Our wider October package takes a closer look at the strategy, going BTS of chief brand officer Tressie Lieberman's marketing machine, plus the merch drops building Millennial and Gen Z love. We also zoom out at the coffee gold rush that Starbucks started, and the rivals (hello Dutch Bros and Luckin) now competing for the customers it created. Also, heads up: tomorrow, courtesy of SiriusXM Media, the ADWEEK paywall comes down for the day, giving you free access to all our reporting. Now, go get your caffeine fix. Rebecca Stewart, brand editor Must Reads 1. Brian Niccol Reveals the Next Era of Starbucks "It's not real until it's in the coffeehouse," is what Starbucks boss Brian Niccol tells his team. Across 40,000 stores, even small changes take time — and turning things around at speed is something Niccol told me he underestimated. Still, two years in, his Back to Starbucks blueprint is landing. Comparable sales are up 7.9%, and stock has risen 30% since he was named CEO. My exclusive interview with Niccol gets inside the turnaround and where it's headed next. On arrival, the former marketer treated Starbucks' slump as a brand problem and has been willing to let margins take the hit to fix it. Now, the question is whether his bet on hospitality can scale across more than 40,000 coffeehouses while keeping investors happy, too. Read more 2. Inside Starbucks' Marketing Machine with Global Chief Brand Officer Tressie Lieberman Niccol has surrounded himself with familiar voices at Starbucks, including Tressie Lieberman, who joined as chief brand officer in November 2024 and had spent decades working with Niccol at Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Chipotle. Over the last two years, she's been rebuilding the marketing machine that powers it by "moving at the speed of culture." Here’s how she did it, and what she’s planning next. Read more 3. Beyond Coffee: The Starbucks Merchandise Collabs Building New Brand Love Viral merch collections that sell out quickly have been central to Lieberman's strategy to "unlock core memories around the brand." Brittaney Kiefer takes a look at the buzzy merch collabs helping Starbucks build brand love, from Peanuts and Hello Kitty to fashion companies such as Dandy and Roller Rabbit. Read more 4. Caffeine Gold Rush: The Competition for Coffee Fans Has Never Been Hotter And Robert Klara writes about why everyone else now wants a cup of the modern coffee market that Starbucks built. He hears from analysts about how Dutch Bros, 7 Brew, Luckin, and a crowd of others are presenting new challenges for the Seattle-founded chain. Read more 5. ADWEEK's Sports Marketing MVPs 2026: Bringing the Heat On and Off the Court Now, for something that isn't coffee but comes in just as hot. Today we reveal ADWEEK’s annual Sports Marketing MVP list, which honors the sports marketing executives crafting savvy strategies to connect with fans while delivering results for their companies. From the mind behind NBCUniversal’s back-to-back record-setting Olympic Games to the woman ensuring WNBA games will b