Starbucks Earth Month Game

Since Starbucks first opened its doors in 1971, it’s been deeply rooted in sustainable practices. More recently, CEO Kevin Johnson publicly announced a pledge to reduce Starbucks’ footprint by half before 2030 in an effort to “give more than we take from the planet.”

As part of that effort, Starbucks wanted a way to generate broader awareness of its commitment to be a people-positive and planet-positive company, and also wanted to educate and activate as many Starbucks Rewards members as possible to take small, tangible actions to better our world.

Merkle and Starbucks created the Earth Month Game – a month-long promotion that gave Starbucks® Rewards loyalty members the opportunity to win more than 2.5 million prizes, while also rewarding them for sustainable behavior – to make big impacts through small actions. To further incent participation, Starbucks announced it would donate $250,000 to plant 250,000 trees, and players of the Earth Month Game got to choose where those trees were planted. The experience featured three engaging and motivating elements: an instant win game (Choice & Chance) to drive registration and purchase, a skill-based puzzle game (Play & Plant) to drive engagement and player satisfaction, and Weekly Activities that challenged players to do more and drove education and sustainable behavior.

The main objectives of The Starbucks® Earth Month Game were to increase sustainability awareness and behavior, and both goals were met. Not to mention, 250,000 trees found a new home.