Inside Starbucks' Marketing Machine with Global Chief Brand Officer Tressie Lieberman

As Back to Starbucks gathers pace, chief brand officer Tressie Lieberman has 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. The coffeehouse has a hybrid agency model Lieberman’s team includes marketing, menu, merchandise, packaging, digital experiences, and Starbucks’ CPG business. “It helps us show up as one global brand,” she said. She also leads Starbucks Creative Studio, the brand’s in-house team of designers, writers, and illustrators. This unit focuses on culture-first and social content, like its Unicorn Frappuccino revival. Its Green Apron Creator employee advocacy program, whose pilot onboarded 53 staff. In Starbucks’ hybrid setup, agencies including Anomaly work on big-ticket creative like the brand’s recent “Basic Is So Back” push with Martha Stewart and Off Campus star Belmont Cameli. Media is handled by Publicis Groupe’s Spark. A CEO who gets marketing Lieberman arrived with a mandate to drive more visibility and “reignite the soul of the brand,” she said. When she joined, Starbucks’ premium positioning “wasn’t coming to life in a big enough way.” Lieberman and Niccol’s decades-long working relationship, coupled with Niccol’s marketing roots, allowed them to get their first campaign from idea to TV in less than three months. “We always have honest, truthful conversations,” said Niccol. “It’s not like we agree on everything, but when we decide to do something Tressie knows I’m all in.” There’s no single Starbucks customer Whether it’s serving coffee to athletes at the Olympics, selling Snoopy cups at the counter, or offering freebies to loyal drinkers, Lieberman said everything Starbucks does is about building long-term brand love by tapping into the role it plays in people’s identities. “What you choose says something about who you are, and that’s a really special part of our brand,” she said. “We’ve always been a lifestyle brand, and we want to protect that.” Fall launch photographed in Seattle on August 25, 2026. (Photo by Joshua Trujillo, Starbucks) Beyond PSL season The Pumpkin Spice Latte and Red Cups are harbingers of the fall and holiday seasons, but Lieberman wants to anchor Starbucks in spring, summer, and other occasions too. Its summer blockbuster, the Unicorn Frappuccino, showed there’s space for Starbucks to do so, as did its nostalgic collab with Dandy. For every season, Starbucks is asking: “Is there a collectible or a moment that can get our fans pumped up?” she said. Thinking about Gen Alpha Starbucks’ growing cold brew and Refreshers ranges have been catering to Gen Z’s coffee habits, with nearly half of the demographic drinking their coffee cold, iced, or frozen, compared to 32% of Americans overall, per The National Coffee Association. And while they might not drink coffee yet, the brand is positioning itself for the next cohort of caffeine aficionados. Thanks to millennial parents, “Gen Alpha loves Starbucks,” explained Lieberman. As they come of age, they’re finding their own favorites too, like decaf Refreshers and hedgehog cake pops. To keep pace with them, Starbucks has been showing up more on YouTube and working with creators like MrBeast.

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Inside Starbucks' Marketing Machine with Global Chief Brand Officer Tressie Lieberman

How the cafe chain works with agencies, a PSL for every season, and more insights.

The coffeehouse has a hybrid agency model

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Rebecca Stewart

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