Starbucks unveils last campaign by Iris

Iris has released its last campaign for Starbucks UK after a five-year partnership with the business.

“Every table has a story” takes inspiration from a post-pandemic world where flexible working has proved increasingly popular.

Starbucks positions itself as an inclusive “third place”, where everyone is welcome to fuel their passions and work on their side hustles.

The 60-second film follows Kay’s story, an inspiring creative entrepreneur hoping to launch her own business successfully.

It opens with Kay walking over to her usual spot in a Starbucks cafe. Moving piano music accompanies a montage of Kay scribbling in sketch books, taking phone calls and designing prints on her laptop, all from the same Starbucks table.

She takes a moment to explain to a Starbucks employee what she’s working on as he hovers, fascinated, over her laptop screen.

The spot takes viewers through the highs and lows of her business venture, as she receives rejection after rejection, until it seems like she has given up.

One day viewers can hear a Starbucks employee shout Kay’s name so she can pick up her order once again. Kay returns to her usual table and opens a magazine where she is the subject of a two-page spread headlined: “One to watch”.

The campaign was directed by Nick Davies through Sweetshop Films, written by Isabel Albarran and art directed by Hector Ojea Pereiro.

It will also appear as 30-second and 20-second ads, running across cinema, BVOD, online video, socials and owned channels, including in-store.

Media planning and buying was handled by Havas Media.

Starbucks has been reviewing its EMEA lead strategic and creative account since June in a process handled by Creativebrief.

A result is expected shortly and Iris told Campaign that the shop will not be working with Starbucks going forward.

Iris was behind Starbucks’ "What’s your name", which followed James, a transgender man facing the challenges of transitioning, with people continuing to call him by his birth name.

The ad earned a Campaign Pick of the Week, won a gold Lion at Cannes for Creative Strategy and was the winner of the Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising Award in 2019.

Eli Vasiliou, group creative director at Iris, commented on the new campaign: “Starbucks’ mission is to inspire and nurture the human spirit, one person, one cup and one neighbourhood at a time.

“The work we've created over the last five years has brought meaning to this ambition. This campaign is no exception. At every table, in every store, real life is playing out.”

Vasiliou added: “Through a cinematic lens, we've told the small but powerful story of one inspirational woman, leaving behind a legacy that demonstrates the emotional punch of creative storytelling.”