Last November, a $29.95 glass cup shaped like a bear did something most marketing teams only dream about. It started a fight.
Police were called to a Starbucks near Houston after customers scuffled inside the store, reportedly over the Bearista cup, according to local station KHOU. Elsewhere, people lined up before dawn and still went home empty-handed. Some stores sold out within 24 minutes of opening. One eBay listing asked $1,250.
Starbucks apologized: “We understand many customers were excited about the Bearista cup and apologize for the disappointment this may have caused.”
So naturally, it’s doing it again. On purpose. And this time, you won’t even know which bear you’re getting.
The Sequel
Starbucks announced the plan this week. Two drops:
- Nov. 10: the “Surprise Box.” A mystery box with one Bearista cup inside, in new character designs. You find out which bear you got when you open it. Limited quantities, while supplies last. Price not announced yet.
- Dec. 1: the original returns, green hat and all, but only at select stores.
Starbucks’ explanation for bringing it back: “Customers didn’t just buy it, they shared it, celebrated it and made it part of the broader cultural conversation.”
Wait, Why Repeat a Fiasco?
Because from a marketing point of view, it wasn’t a fiasco. A $30 cup got national news coverage, pre-dawn lines and a pile of viral posts. Starbucks said demand “exceeded even our biggest expectations.” Most brands would pay a fortune for that kind of attention. Starbucks got it for the price of some glassware.
The mystery box is the same idea as a pack of baseball cards. You don’t know what you’re getting, so opening it is the fun part, and if you didn’t get the one you wanted, you buy another. People also film the big reveal, and every one of those videos is a free ad for Starbucks.
The Catch
Scarcity cuts both ways. Starbucks said it shipped more Bearista cups than almost any other holiday merchandise item, and it still ran out almost everywhere. Some stores reportedly got only one or two.
The customer who drove to a store at 5 a.m. and left with nothing doesn’t post about how fun the hype was. They post about you. That’s the part Starbucks had to apologize for, and the part it will be judged on this time.
The Takeaway
Making something scarce can make it famous. But scarcity is only a strategy if you plan for the people who don’t get one. Otherwise it’s just running out.
Before Your Next Meeting
You don’t need a bear cup to try this. What would you do?
- Your limited-edition product sells out in an hour. Do you restock fast or keep it rare? Starbucks waited almost a year and turned the comeback into its own event. What would you lose by restocking right away?
- A customer drives 40 minutes and you’re sold out. What do they leave with? Last year’s apology came after people left empty-handed. A waitlist, a voucher, first dibs next time: what’s your plan?
- Would a mystery version of what you sell excite your customers or annoy them? A surprise box works when opening it is part of the fun. Which of your products could pull that off?
