WorkStarbucks
ActivationMusic for AdsCase Study
July 8, 2024

"Kawa mi gra" at Starbucks

Personalized songs performed live — a hidden-camera activation.

For International Coffee Day, together with the Uszka w Barszczu agency, we co-created a hidden-camera activation for Starbucks under the slogan "Kawa mi gra!" ("Coffee plays my tune"). We turned the standard café playlist into live-improvised, personalized songs about the guests in the room.

Client
Starbucks
Scope
Activation
Timeline
1 day
Scale
40+ songs

The challenge

The challenge was to create an unconventional activation that would brighten the day for café customers — and carry those emotions into social media.

The project demanded complete discretion. Musicians, microphones, and cameras had to stay invisible, so guests wouldn't realize the song coming from the speakers was being created live — and was about them.

What we did

We helped shape the creative concept and handled the full technical and artistic execution on the audio side:

  1. Artist coordination

    We cast a duo of musicians who played and sang more than forty improvised songs in a single day. The artists — along with the engineering station — were hidden in a van out back, their music feeding directly into the café's speakers.

  2. Discreet production

    We selected a sound system of just the right size, allowing us to switch seamlessly from the playlist to the live band's performance. To capture voices, instruments, and guests' reactions, we hid multiple microphones of varying characteristics throughout the café.

  3. Pre- and post-production

    We supported the directing team and made sure every song was recorded. In post-production, we prepared the sound for a series of films, making sure they captured the mood of surprise and joy.

Video

The outcome

  1. An unforgettable guest experience

    Guests who unexpectedly heard a song written just about them responded with genuine enthusiasm — which translated into authentic, natural footage.

  2. High-quality recordings

    Despite working hidden-camera style in a bustling café, we achieved excellent audio quality while keeping the entire production invisible.

  3. Engaging content

    The result was a series of brand films that generated positive engagement across the brand's Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube channels.

Why it works

Surprise and personalization

The activation is built on surprise and personalization — two powerful emotional drivers. The shift from background music to a personalized song means the brand stops broadcasting a one-way message and enters a direct, positive interaction with the consumer.

TD
TADADAM Team
Audio Production · TADADAM

Surprise your guests with sound

Harness the power of music to build unconventional, emotionally charged activations for your event or special campaign. We'll make sure the technical and artistic setup lets the key moments truly resonate.