Case study · Coffee and drinks
Starbucks Doubleshot Commuter Sampling 100,000 Samples | 36 Staff A Day | 12 Stations
The story in brief
Starbucks wanted its Doubleshot Espresso in the hands of London’s commuters, at scale. Over two days, 12 station teams handed out 100,000 chilled samples across Central London train and tube stations, kept supplied by a fleet of 12 vehicles and coordinated by our head office team on site.
- Client
- Starbucks
- Sector
- Coffee and drinks
- Format
- Commuter station sampling
- City
- London
- Venue
- Central London train and tube stations
- Staff type
- Product sampling staff, Brand ambassadors
01
The brief
Starbucks set the target: 100,000 chilled Doubleshot Espresso samples across Central London’s train and tube stations in two days. The sampling was aimed at the morning and early afternoon peaks, when commuters are on the move and ready for a quick energy hit.
We were asked to plan and deliver the whole ground operation, from location mapping and logistics to the branded teams at each station. With tens of thousands of samples to move, store and hand out to a tight schedule, the people and the logistics had to work to one plan.
02
Stations and teams
Bespoke location mapping picked the stations and spots across London’s rail and underground network with the highest commuter footfall in the morning rush and early afternoon.
Twelve teams worked at the same time, each with three sampling specialists working from fully branded Starbucks sampling bins, as part of our sampling campaigns service. That put 36 staff on the ground each day, all on train station sampling pitches.
Every team member wore fully branded Starbucks clothing and carried professionally presented sampling equipment, so every station carried the premium feel Starbucks expects at each consumer touchpoint.
03
How it ran
- Fleet: 12 dedicated vehicles with drivers moved chilled samples from storage to station, keeping every site supplied.
- Coordination: a head office team on site throughout both days for live oversight, troubleshooting and quality checks.
- Management: 24/7 management support behind the 36 staff a day.
- Reporting: professional photography and bespoke online reports for post-campaign assessment.
Logistics and people worked to the same plan, so 36 staff a day could keep sampling at 12 stations without running dry.
The vehicles kept supply lines flowing across every active site at once, from the morning peak through to the early afternoon.
04
Why it works
The Doubleshot is built for people on the move, and a commuter on the way into work is exactly that. Placing it straight into their hands at the main stations in Central London made each sample a welcome start to the day rather than an interruption.
Handing out 100,000 units in two days is a serious logistics task. The infrastructure made it work: dedicated vehicles kept stations supplied, location mapping put teams in the right spots at the right times, and the on-site head office team gave live oversight. The result was high volume and high visibility, with a consistent, premium experience at every station.
Where it ran
London
Central London train and tube stations, Greater London
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