Pumpkin, Profits and PR
Published on October 17, 2025, at 2:20 p.m.
by Lucy Hall.
When does fall officially begin for you?
Here in Alabama, many mark the changing seasons with the first kickoff of college football season. But for me, it begins with the return of Starbucks seasonal drink menu.
This year, the Starbucks campaign officially abbreviated their iconic Pumpkin Spice Latte to PSL (its savvy nickname)… and consumers have gone wild. What seems like a simple, yet strategic, branding decision has transformed the seasonal beverage into a buzzworthy product.
What most don’t realize? This phenomenon has been in the works for the past two decades. The pumpkin spice latte was first released in 100 stores, a tested product to outsell their peppermint mocha featured during the holiday season. Tasked with helping the company create a hit fall beverage, Peter Duke said within a few weeks the team knew they had created a winning beverage.
The pumpkin spice latte is made with Starbucks signature espresso, steamed milk, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and clove-with the option of whipped cream, of course! It is released each year at the end of August, a limited-time product that leaves shelves around Thanksgiving.
The PSL first got its nickname from baristas writing its iconic three letters onto customers’ cups in an effort to produce orders quickly. Once the brand realized its popularity with the public, they trademarked the name in 2015. This, along with the creation of an X (previously Twitter) account known as @TheRealPSL, allowed Starbucks to use hashtags and social media to transform a seasonal beverage into much more–a lifestyle.
In 2025, these hashtags are still trending on platforms like TikTok, Instagram and X. Users continue to share their “PSL hacks”, which vary from lower calorie pumpkin swaps, secret menu tips and tricks, and overall an influx in drink orders shared online for customers to compare. There are even advertisements running that only feature the three symbolic letters. In New York City, Starbucks launched a creative campaign on the L subway line. It features an orange wrapped train marked with the letters PS in white, to be completed as the L cars’ doors close each stop.
Starbucks communication team knew what they were doing with this campaign. Outside of their PSL audience, these posts have extended past their target reach. After receiving advertisements for weeks, my friends who do not usually prefer pumpkin finally gave the PSL a try.
The drink that broke the internet is now available for purchase at grocery stores, like many other Starbucks creamer and coffee options. Now that October has begun, it’s time for fans to stock up on creamer or circle through the drive-thru line for their final pumpkin fix. I know that I have been to Starbucks more than I-or my bank account-would like to admit these last few weeks.
Regardless of your coffee preferences, we can all agree that this year’s PSL campaign was un-bean-lievable. And we’ll continue to watch how this seasonal menu evolves in the years to come.
