Ah, the first week of September. That time of year when, in many parts of North America, summer is slowly receding, temperatures are dropping ever so slightly, and the kiddies are ramping up for back-to-school.
It’s also pumpkin spice latte time.
As a citizen of the world, MediaMiser is aware of the madness surrounding this hallowed beverage, and of the particular deference given to the Starbucks version. So in anticipation of the beverage’s annual launch (which seems to get earlier every year), we tracked Twitter to see just how much some people love to talk up the seasonal drink.
The following might shock and surprise you… but if you’re a fan, probably won’t.
In the week leading up to the beverage’s return, mentions of the PSL did what any sane observer might expect: they rose. The astonishing thing is by just how much.
The final days of August were civilized in their excitement, but things flowed over as the month came to a close, thanks in no small part to a promotional tweet on Aug. 31 from Starbucks itself:
Why wait for the ??? to change? Get your PSL Fan Pass to enjoy Pumpkin Spice Latte early! https://t.co/0fB5PRAy0F
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) September 1, 2016
Retweets alone accounted for 545 posts, or 44 per cent of all PSL & Starbucks mentions that day; at time of printing, the number of retweets had rocketed to more than 2,600.
By launch day, Twitter was running in a different gear, with hordes of PSL fanatics coming out of the woodwork: of the nearly 16,000 tweets across the week, 60 per cent came on September 1, and of those, 32 per cent mentioned Starbucks by name.
If anyone brings me a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks I will love you forever!!
— Katelyn Lara (@lara_katelyn) September 1, 2016
I love you Starbucks!!! I’m drinking my Pumpkin Spice Latte! Woohoo!!!@Starbucks
— Kelly Fox (@kellyhannanfox) August 31, 2016
It’s almost Pumpkin Spice Latte season, and I couldn’t be more excited.??@Starbucks
— tyanna (@tylottt) August 28, 2016
Stay with us throughout the fall, as we’ll be keeping a close eye on these tweeters and tweeterettes as they profess their love for the sacred Pumpkin Spice Latte.
