Tuio had a simple brief: Make Pumpkin Spice Latte season bigger than just drinks. The Bucharest agency’s answer? Create an actual perfume.
“It’s rare for Romania to see brands create something from scratch for the purpose of marketing,” says Ludwig Petre, Creative Director at Tuio. So they went ahead and made EAU de PSL a sensorial reality.
What started with scent ended with obsession
Working with Swiss master perfumer Anton Jimmy Studer from LUZI Switzerland, the team created an actual unisex fragrance capturing the essence of the drink. Coffee and tea leaves hit the top notes, cinnamon and cotton candy form the heart, and vanilla and musk anchor the base.
The numbers tell the story: 300% growth in new Starbucks Rewards members per day since the September 16 launch. Locations ran out of their allocated bottles within hours. Customers started calling stores asking to “reserve” gifts before they arrived.
When product launches feel like beauty events
Petre’s team designed the launch like a proper fragrance debut. They gathered lifestyle and beauty influencers with top tier Rewards Members at Starbucks’ renovated Promenada Mall location in Bucharest, brought in Romanian singer Nicole Cherry as the face, and treated it like the cultural moment it became.
“We wanted the event to feel authentic and immersive, much like a true product launch in the beauty world,” Petre explains. “An experience Gen Z would actually want to share.”
The UGC proof is everywhere—TikTok users showing off their bottles, genuine excitement from people who snagged one of the 10,000 limited-edition miniatures or a handful of full-sized bottles.
Building on bold moves
This builds on Tuio’s track record with Starbucks. Last year’s secret pop-up in a remote cornfield established their appetite for unexpected executions. The U.S. market’s approach to experiential campaigns gave them the confidence to push even further.
“The U.S. was definitely a creative confidence booster for using PSL as a seasonal growth engine,” Petre notes. They took that inspiration and made it their own.
Why pumpkin spice works as culture
The timing couldn’t be better. Global interest in pumpkin spice is at an all-time high, and the market is expected to reach $2 billion by 2030. What started as a seasonal coffee flavor has evolved into something more—a cultural marker that autumn has arrived.
“Like the drink itself, our PSL activations unite the digital and physical in ways people want to share,” says Petre. “With EAU de PSL, we’ve transformed an iconic beverage into a collectible accessory, an experience that lasts well beyond the product itself.”
Romanian singer Nicole Cherry put it: “It’s cozy, playful and 100% autumn.” Sometimes the best campaigns just capture what people already feel.
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Contact: ludwig@tuio.ro
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