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Top 6: February 19th 2020
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Starbucks: #WhatsYourName

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Top 6: February 19th 2020
The theme of this year's Channel 4's Diversity in Advertising Award was challenging the lack of representation and stereotyping of the LGBT+ community in advertising. Based on the insight that only 0.3% of TV adverts feature a transgender person, despite the community making up an estimated 1% of the population, we saw an opportunity for Starbucks to re-ignite itself as a progressive brand, by building on it's strong heritage with the LGBT+ community.
Agency: Iris

The integrated brand campaign, #whatsyourname, focuses on the importance of identity and acceptance. It takes Starbucks’ signature act of writing people’s names on cups and brings that to life in the most powerful way.

It builds on an insight that members of the transgender community often try out their new identity for the first time in a Starbucks store – an open and safe space where they feel welcomed. Whilst an everyday interaction for many, giving your name to a barista for the transgender community becomes a truly significant moment as they are recognised as who they want to be.

Using the £1 million media awarded from Channel 4 we were able give airtime to this under-represented community and tell their unique stories.

In order to land the work in an authentic and sensitive way, we worked closely with transgender individuals to develop the narratives, and throughout the production process. We casted real people, not actors, to genuinely bring the stories to life – both in the main TVC and in the accompanying ‘moving portraits’.

The 60 second TV ad depicts the challenges of ‘James’ who is transitioning and does not identify with his birth-name ‘Jemma’. Throughout the piece James is called ‘Jemma’ by others during everyday occurrences until the ad culminates with him trying out his chosen name for the first time at a Starbucks store. He responds as ‘James’ when the barista asks his name which is then written on a Starbucks cup, and called out when James’s coffee is ready.
Credits Other credits

Art Production: Lu Howlett, Jody Brown, Paris Bennett

Editorial: Vino Vethavanam

POPS: Peter Maynard, Olivier Darriet-Fisher, Oliver Rushton, Syd Harvey

Design: Katrina Loosemore, Roger Norris, James Butt, Mollie Wade, Jess Leonard, Josh West, Nicole Vanner

Motion: Mike Tsang, Rebecca Ransom

Retouching: Kevin Relf, Cat Wood

Social: Beth Carroll, Tom Langan, Chaz Callingham-Woods

Production / Delivery: Jennifer Clark, Adam Brocklebank, Guy Cain

Artwork: Billy Thomas, Kyle Nagle, Tom Park, Murat Ince, Rebecca Koss

Retouching: Kevin Relf, Cat Wood

Business Affairs: Katie Singer

PR: Rachel Geraghty

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