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🪩 Volume 104 | October 1, 2025
 
Hey, good marketer!
 
I am BEYOND excited to share here that The Good Marketer newsletter is growing. And in a massive way.
 
What you can expect going forward:
  • You will ALWAYS get a campaign breakdown. All in the vein of helping YOU be a “good” marketer
  • I will ALWAYS follow that breakdown up with some runner-ups; good marketing is everywhere, and I don't plan to gatekeep
  • OCCASIONALLY, I'll share what I've added to my wish list, in the name of good marketing
  • RARELY will I promote my own business. The Good Marketer going forward has one job: make YOU a Good (read: GREAT) Marketer.
  • We will ONLY allow sponsorships from brands I've used and loved, and would shout from the rooftops for you to try. No spam allowed here.
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This week's read time: 2.5ish mins
For you skimmers: 1 min (hit the bold headers and bullet points)
 
 

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image of play doh and a statement about how the best marketing keeps things simple

 
Sooooooo, Starbucks is shutting down some stores (oof), but at the exact same time they dropped Protein Coffee as part of their shiny new “Back to Starbucks” initiative. 
 
Coincidence? Nope. 
 
It’s them chasing “nutritional enrichment” because, shocker, we all want more PROTEIN!!!
 
The move rides the viral “proffee” trend (protein + coffee) TikTok made famous, fueled by the Ozempic/Wegovy crowd and just… well, the 70% of Americans who say they’re actively trying to up their protein. (Hi, it me 🙋‍♀️, trying to up my protein).
 
While Starbucks has been slipping, Dutch Bros—the quirky Oregon chain with “broistas” and drinks called Tiger’s Blood—grew +6.1% last year with a menu full of, you guessed it… protein coffees.
 
Starbucks doesn’t exactly innovate here. 
 
What they do have is 39,000 more stores and that global chokehold on morning routines. 
 
So: protein coffee at scale = duh. And because they’re smart, they didn’t just add protein. They bolted it onto a crowd favorite: cold foam. Now you can plop 15g of protein straight on top of your latte.
 
How did I find out?
  • Push notifications from the app ☑️
  • Instagram ads ☑️
  • My group chat blowing up ☑️
  • Plus a Chartr email breaking down their sales slump ☑️
That’s a full-funnel campaign if I ever saw one.
 
 
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Social listening is so freaking cool. Fun fact: this was my first job out of college. To scour tools and channels and see how PEOPLE were talking about brands, trends and more. We USED this information to craft campaigns.
 
This likely wasn't just something someone got the idea for inside Starbucks. This very much came off the backs of studying their audiences, watching the “Proffee” trend go wild, and wanting to stake their claim in further market share. 
 
So to you, when launching YOUR next campaign or sales push (aherm, esp heading into holiday szn) I recommend:
  • Meeting people where they already are. Starbucks didn’t reinvent the wheel. They tacked protein onto something they already knew customers love (cold foam).
  • Riding the cultural wave, don’t fight it. TikTok had already validated “proffee.” Starbucks just cashed in. Pay attention to where your audience is already playing. *caveat: do not take this as “jump on every trend.”
  • Use your owned channels first. The app notification hit me before I saw an ad. Your owned platforms (email, SMS, app) are your fastest route to relevance.
  • Build buzz from multiple touchpoints. I didn’t just see an ad. I got texts from friends. Campaigns stick when they’re everywhere, creating a feeling of “okay fine, I have to try this.”
Time will tell: but the marketing is being done right IMO!!
 
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  • Brita is fully leaning into brain rot content. Stay to the end for a… shock? Surprise? Other ads of theirs currently include one on TikTok where the roommate refills the Brita with hotdog water, after the other roommate failed to refill after emptying. I died.
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  • Why NOT turn your product into a living, breathing mascot? Chef Reilly Meehan, professionally trained private chef, content creator, and shrimp cocktail aficionado (according to Google) is publishing a cookbook, and he turned that into a REAL LIFE BFF. BRB, on my way to tell every client to make a life size body suit display of any of their products or services.
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Added to the wishlist, this week
TinyHealth.com has my undivided attention. 🧬 I THOROUGHLY enjoyed their quiz recommendation, follow up email sequences, and will very likely be trying this solution out for my poor 18 month old and her belly issues lol.
 

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