---
id: "entity-starbucks-d65"
type: "entity"
source_timestamps: ["§ Originality: From Scripted Control to Storytelling Freedom"]
tags: ["food-and-beverage", "case-study-success"]
related: ["concept-originality", "quote-not-an-ad-content"]
entityType: "organization"
canonicalName: "Starbucks"
aliases: []
sources: ["attention"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-attention"
originDay: 4
articleStem: "hbr-foci-65-influencer-marketing-trust"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/12/how-to-do-influencer-marketing-that-customers-actually-trust"
sourceTitle: "How to Do Influencer Marketing That Customers Actually Trust"
---
# Starbucks

A global coffee brand that benefited from an influencer's [[concept-originality|Originality]]. An **unnamed influencer** pitched Starbucks a series of Instagram stories showing **how she makes their coffee at home** instead of a traditional ad. By staying true to her style, the organic concept **outperformed expectations** — captured in the line *"It was not an ad, it's content!"* (see [[quote-not-an-ad-content]]).