What assumptions do you hold about the case study? And how would you assess the case study?

CHAPTER CASE STUDY: Starbucks Some foods and drinks just taste better at different times of that an average of 3,000 fans tweet each day using the year, and many businesses have been taking advantage of hashtag #PSL to show their enthusiasm. the seasonal food trend for years. Nothing says winter like The summer of 2014, the company even created an eggnog or gingerbread. Nothing says summer like a hotdog official Twitter account for the Pumpkin Spice Latte (@ and a cold drink. And nothing says fall quite like Starbucks' TheRealPSL). They use the page to post information about Pumpkin Spice Latte. the drink's availability and fun promotional photos. After The drink was released for fall 2016 on September 6 to the 2016 release, fans were tagging the account in tweets the general public, and on September 1 to rewards members, welcoming it back for the season. marking its thirteenth consecutive seasonal debut. Nick- Also joining the Pumpkin Spice Latte in the 2016 sea- named "PSL,"it is Starbucks' most popular seasonal drink of all sonal drink lineup was Starbucks' new Chile Mocha. "When time. we think about fall, often people think about warmth and In spring 2003, after the team in the "Liquid Lab" success- spice, like cinnamon and apple pie" said Michelle Sundquist, fully developed the Eggnog Latte and Peppermint Mocha Starbucks senior product developer. "We decided to take that for the winter season, they were tasked with adding a new idea in a new direction with chocolate and a bit of heat." Sun- beverage to the fall espresso lineup. After sampling pumpkin dquist was on the team that created the new fall beverage. pie followed by sips of hot espresso, the team thought they The Chile Mocha is made with espresso and steamed might be on to something. milk infused with a cocoa and cinnamon Chile powder, "Nobody knew back then what it would grow to be," said topped with a dollop of whipped cream and finished with Peter Dukes, director of espresso Americas for Starbucks. "It's a sprinkle of Chile Mocha topping consisting of ancho and taken on a life of its own."The Pumpkin Spice Latte was tested cayenne chili pepper, cinnamon, paprika, sugar, and a touch at 100 stores in Vancouver and Washington, D.C in fall 2003. of sea salt. "The first sip should be warm and chocolatey, "Within the first week of the market test, we knew we quickly followed by the creaminess of the whip and just a kiss had a winner;"Dukes said. "Back then, we would call store of sweet and savory heat all at once" said Sundquist. managers on the phone to see how a new beverage was do- For many, September 6 seems early to release a fall sea- ing, and you could hear the excitement in their voices." sonal beverage, but Starbucks was not the first to make their The following year, the beverage was released to all of drinks available in 2016. Dunkin' Donuts released their PSL on the company's U.S. locations, and it has been synonymous August 29, and McDonald's released theirs on August 31. with fall ever since. The Pumpkin Spice Latte is so popular Sources: "Peter Dukes Shares the Story Behind Starbucks First Pumpkin Spice Latte, Starbucks Newsroom, August 24, 2014, accessed October 22, 2016, https:/ews.starbucks.comews/starbucks- first-pumpkin-spice-latte; 5. Spence, "it's Back! Starbucks' Pumpkin Spice Latte Has Officially Returned for Fall" People Food, September 1, 2016, accessed October 22, 2016, http://people.com/food/ starbucks-pumpkin-spice-latte-psi-release-date-2016/; "Starbucks Spices Up Fall with Pumpkin Spice Latte and the New Chile Mocha' Starbucks Newsroom, September 1, 2016, accessed October 22, 2016, https:/ews.starbucks.comews/psl-chile-mocha-2016