Starbucks has a knack for making the everyday feel special at Christmas. This time, it did it with something simple and recognisable. A hand drawn doodle style that looks like it belongs on a red cup, scaled up into street level builds that people could actually stop and look at.
The Drawn Together work landed as special Out of Home builds in London and Manchester, tied to Starbucks’ wider Holiday campaign.
For UK brands watching from the sidelines, there are clear lessons here. This is not about throwing budget at bigger screens. It is about choosing one strong brand asset, then crafting the right spaces around it so the public feels something in the middle of a busy season.
A Festive Story Built from Familiar Pen Lines
The core creative idea was deliberately human. Starbucks leaned into the Sharpie pen feeling that customers already associate with the brand, the scribble that usually writes your name on the cup. In the campaign film, the story follows handcrafted baristas who move across holiday red cups, capturing small moments of connection that end with people finding their way back to each other.
That same idea carried into the outdoor work. Instead of reusing standard key visuals, Starbucks used bespoke drawings across high impact sites in London and Manchester. The illustrations showed real seasonal moments like placing the star on the tree and untangling Christmas lights.
This is a strong reminder for any mid level brand. When the creative idea is clear, you can stretch it across formats without losing its charm.
Why Doodle Style Artwork Plays Well Outdoors
Hand drawn visuals have a few advantages on the street, especially in winter when people move quickly and daylight is short.
It reads fast at a distance
Simple line work is easy to scan. Your eye catches the shape before you even read a word.
It feels personal in a public place
A doodle looks like it came from a person, not a design committee. That matters in a season that can feel hectic.
It gives brands permission to be warm
You can be playful while staying premium, if the craft is right and the brand cues are consistent.
For marketers, this is a useful direction when you want a broad reach but still want your message to feel like it has a pulse.
From Artwork to Street Level Theatre
The smartest part of this campaign is how the drawings were treated. They were not left flat. They were built into physical experiences that made people look twice.
The builds ran at high footfall locations, including Jamestown Road in London and The Hare and Hounds in Manchester. They were finished with real Christmas lights so the illustrated scenes glowed on winter evenings.
That detail matters. Real lights change the way people perceive the work. It becomes a moment, not just an ad unit.
What Brands Can Learn for Christmas OOH Planning
You do not need Starbucks scale to borrow Starbucks thinking. Here are the parts worth stealing.
Pick one distinctive asset and commit to it
Starbucks chose Sharpie style drawings. They did not dilute it with extra styles. For your brand, that asset could be:
- A character or icon
- A product silhouette
- A recognisable colour block
- A short line of copy that belongs to you
This asset should work on a six sheet, a large format billboard and a digital placement.
Make the environment do some of the work
The lights were not decoration. They were part of the message. Think about what your location gives you for free.
- Evening footfall near stations and high streets
- Seasonal shopping routes
- Queues outside venues
- Winter weather that makes warm messaging land better
This is where internal planning content can help.
Choose two cities and do them properly
Starbucks focused on London and Manchester. That gives scale and cultural buzz without spreading the work thin. For mid level brands, a tight city plan often beats a scattered national plan.
A sensible approach is:
- One London cluster around commuter flows and retail hotspots
- One regional city cluster where your sales footprint is strong
Making Special Builds Measurable without Killing the Vibe
Christmas campaigns can drift into vanity metrics. You can keep it commercial with a simple measurement plan that suits OOH.
Pick outcomes that match the job
If your goal is store visits, track store footfall uplift in a defined radius around sites. If your goal is brand momentum, track search lift and social engagement around the activation window.
Common options include:
- Mobile location based footfall measurement
- Brand lift surveys in exposed postcodes
- Web traffic spikes by geo and time
- Store level sales correlation for promoted products
Avoid overloading the creative with QR codes and long URLs. Keep the work clean, then measure around it.
A Practical Checklist for Mid Level Brands
Here is a grounded way to approach a Christmas OOH build, even if it is your first one.
Planning and buying
- Start with one clear objective such as awareness, store visits or seasonal product push
- Choose a short activation window that matches peak shopping weeks
- Build a shortlist of sites based on footfall, dwell time and lighting conditions
- Agree a production budget early, special builds have extra costs
Creative and production
- Design for distance first, then add detail for close up viewing
- Use physical elements that make sense for winter such as lighting, texture or movement
- Lock approvals quickly, special builds are time sensitive
- Plan for photography and filming from day one, you will need assets for social and PR
The Brand Point that Makes this Campaign Land
Starbucks tied the work to a bigger brand intent. The campaign echoed its Back to Starbucks strategy, reinforcing the idea of the coffeehouse as a welcoming place where people gather and connect.
That alignment is why the doodles did not feel random. They served a message the brand already owns.
If your brand is planning OOH advertising around Christmas time, start with the same discipline. Decide the feeling you want people to carry into the shop, the site or the app. Then build the outdoor idea around that feeling.
Plan a Campaign that People Actually Notice
If you want your next seasonal campaign to feel crafted and commercial, OOH International is your trusted partner. We help local and international brands plan, buy and deliver Out of Home across key formats, from high impact billboards to DOOH networks and special builds. Speak to us today to get a plan and availability for your target cities.
FAQs
What is the Starbucks Drawn Together OOH campaign about?
Starbucks used hand drawn illustrations to celebrate festive connection, bringing the Sharpie doodle feel of its cups into outdoor builds. The work ran in London and Manchester with bespoke artwork and seasonal scenes.
Where did the Starbucks special builds appear in the UK?
The campaign ran in London and Manchester at high footfall locations. Reported sites include Jamestown Road in London and The Hare and Hounds in Manchester, chosen for strong street visibility.
Why did Starbucks add real Christmas lights to the outdoor work?
The lighting turned the drawings into street level moments, especially in dark winter evenings. It boosted stopping power, improved photo sharing and helped the artwork feel warm and festive without heavy copy.
How can mid level brands apply these ideas to their own OOH?
Pick one distinctive brand asset, keep the message simple and focus on a tight set of sites in one or two cities. Add one physical detail that suits the environment, then measure footfall, search lift or brand impact.