Earned & PaidStarbucks
Starbucks spent $870M on advertising and marketing in fiscal 2025, up 45.7% on the year before and +254% since 2019. That's 2.3% of revenue, more than in 2019: leaning in.
Marketing spend by year
Bars: advertising and marketing expense, $B (10-K). Line: spend as a share of revenue.
What they told investors
“So I think all of that goes together with that great full customer experience, and we're seeing it with the uplifts.”Catherine Smith · 2026 Q3 · transcript
“But we really have just reallocated some of the less effective discounts into far more effective marketing dollars.”management · 2026 Q1 · transcript
What the 10-K says about marketing
- investing in brand “Our brand names, trademarks, and other intellectual property are critical assets that support brand awareness and product development across domestic and international markets. We protect these assets through a combination of trademarks, copyrights, service marks, trade secrets,…” 10-K, Nov 14, 2025
Say vs do
We found no statement about the size of Starbucks's marketing budget on its earnings calls or in its 10-Ks, so here is its record against its peers.
What they said
No statement about the size of its marketing budget.
What they did
| Year | Marketing spend | Change | Share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $870M | +45.7% | 2.3% |
| FY2024 | $597M | +17.5% | 1.6% |
| FY2023 | $508M | +21.8% | 1.4% |
| FY2022 | $417M | +36.7% | 1.3% |
| FY2021 | $305M | +17.8% | 1.1% |
| FY2020 | $259M | +5.3% | 1.1% |
Against its peers. Compared with the 5 other Restaurants advertisers we track (Chipotle, Yum Brands, Restaurant Brands, Domino's, Wendy's): since 2019 its marketing spend went +254% (peer median +66%); its share of revenue moved +1.4 pts (median +0.1); last year +45.7% (median +9.6%).
In interviews, its leaders made 219 statements about marketing: 19 argued for investing in brand and 1 for cutting.
How we check: a statement gets a verdict only when it's clearly about the size of the whole company's marketing budget over a full fiscal year; we compare it with the advertising and marketing expense in that year's 10-K. Statements about one quarter, one brand or channel, or the mix between brand and performance can't be checked against annual filings.
What they say about media
The marketing channels it talks about using for itself on earnings calls and in its 10-Ks and 10-Qs, since 2019; counts are statements, not spending.
- Creative campaigns · Experiential & events · Sponsorships & athletes “Our marketing team has done a great job putting us back in front of culture from Coachella and Soccer Captain Cup Sleeves to a Miffy Merch Drop and our viral Pink Bearista.” Brian Niccol on the earnings call · Aug 7, 2026 · source
- CRM, loyalty & first-party data “We will continue to amplify our brand, engaging with our customers authentically and distinctly as Starbucks, through broad-based marketing, menu innovation, and Starbucks Rewards engagement, with the goal of deepening customer connection, brand loyalty and affinity.” 10-Q · Jul 29, 2026 · source
- Linear TV “As you likely saw, we dialed up our marketing communication, including linear TV media as part of our priority to reintroduce Starbucks to the world.” Rachel Ruggeri on the earnings call · Jan 28, 2025 · source
- AI in marketing “Additionally, we activated new capabilities within our proprietary Deep Brew data analytics and AI tool to identify and incentivize specific rewards members cohorts.” Laxman Narasimhan on the earnings call · Jan 31, 2024 · source
- Influencers & creators “First, we are offering more coffee forward, locally relevant product innovations and we're increasing engagement in social media channels through influencers and partnerships, which are highly effective in China.” Laxman Narasimhan on the earnings call · Jan 31, 2024 · source
What they see in the market
What its leaders and filings say about the ad market: its own ad business, or the channels advertisers use, since 2019; counts are statements, not spending.
- CRM, loyalty & first-party data “We recently launched our Reward Together program, enabling a select group of leading brands to partner with us by linking their loyalty program to Starbucks Rewards.” Howard Schultz on the earnings call · Nov 4, 2022 · source
In the news
- ‘Aloo-posto burger, bhaja bhetki sandwich’: Starbucks launches Durga Pujo special menu, billboard pic goes viral Hindustan Times · Sep 29, 2026 · campaign
- Starbucks (NASDAQ:SBUX) Says It's Back as Cafe Makeover Enters Next Phase Kalkine Media · paywall · Sep 28, 2026 · brand strategy
- Vimenti and Starbucks launch $5 campaign to support Puerto Rican families WJournalpr · Sep 28, 2026 · campaign
- Starbucks Korea marks World Coffee Day with decaf 1+1 and online deals - CHOSUNBIZ Chosunbiz · Sep 28, 2026 · campaign
- Starbucks is “accelerating” redesign efforts across North America al.com · 2026-09 · brand strategy