Starbucks is launching a creator network on TikTok for its
employees to share content.
“The move reflects the growing influence of employee creators in shaping brand perception, particularly among younger
audiences,” according to HRK News Bureau. “With Gen Z employees forming a
large portion of Starbucks’ frontline workforce, the company has increasingly leveraged authentic employee storytelling to connect with customers and maintain cultural relevance
online.”
The news was announced at Cannes Lions this week during a joint session with Starbucks and TikTok.
“The Creator Network builds off of
Starbucks’ Green Apron Creators program, which encourages employees to post social media content around the brand,” according to Marketing Dive. “The pilot will allow Starbucks to
share briefs and compensate select creators in the program through ad revenue sharing.”
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The program is set to launch this summer.
“Starbucks has been
experimenting with employee-generated content for a few years now,” according to Inc. “In 2024, the Seattle-based company began
piloting Green Apron Creators. Last year, it hired two full-time content creators tasked with traveling to Starbucks locations around the world for 12 months and posting about the experience
online.”
The coffee chain’s employees post at a three times higher rate than employees at similar-sized chains, according to Starbucks.
“This
new partnership expands ad revenue- sharing on TikTok for Starbucks employee content creators and fuels them with briefs that the brand is looking for and the type of content that TikTok users are
consuming,” according to Brand Innovators.
Starbucks joins
other companies embracing employee-created content on the platform.
Kaeden Rowland also known as the Staples Baddie, has nearly 600,000 followers and poas frequently about her
job.
Staples CMO Bob Sherwin said in a statement in March that the brand is “incredibly proud” of Rowland and is “exploring opportunities to collaborate and
continue supporting her creativity and engagement with the community,” according to