Last Updated on 13 September 2020

The holiday promotion has launched at Starbucks… marked with a coordinated effort…

  • the ringing of the market bell on Wall St.,
  • in NYC, baristas handing out more than 8,000 “acts of cheer” from complimentary subway MetroCards, free New York Times, bags of Starbucks Christmas Blend coffee, and $5 Starbucks Cards. Each surprise accompanied by a Cheer Pass and a taste of the holiday beverages.”…
  • they’ve decked the halls of the main Starbucks site (starbucks.com)…

  • …as well as launched ItsRedAgain.com – their official Christmastime website.

Perhaps you remember me talking about TheRedCup.com in the past [1], [2], and [3]. It’s a big deal for partners (employees at Starbucks) as well as customers when the ‘red cup’ arrives. It signals that the holiday season has officially started and the return of holiday beverages: eggnog, gingerbread, and peppermint lattes, and Christmas blend coffee. No, it’s not rocket science, nor the cure for cancer… but it’s something people get excited about.

This has been an English-only site, however this year Starbucks has versions of the site in eight languages (supporting the global company that Starbucks is).

While the “tradition keeper” host doesn’t talk in each language (he’s got subtitles) the online holiday activities ARE in each language. The activities currently include a) sending a message to a friend and b) posting holiday traditions of your own. (I’m assuming there will be more to the site as the season progresses).

References
[1] – Starbucks: TheRedCup.com – Here I talk about the launch of the Starbucks Red Cup website
[2] – Starbucks, Christmastime, and the Red Cup – Here I tell the story about the time when I was marketing lead for the Christmas promotion and there was a last-minute switch from the traditional red cup to keeping it white… madness ensued.
[3] – TheRedCup.com – Airport Pickup – I discuss a clever animated short about picking up the wrong relative at the airport. (Sorry the animation no longer works as there is no TheRedCup.com site any longer).