Pumpkin Spice has Better Marketing than Most Brands

Autumn has arrived. The leaves are beginning to change, the jumpers are coming back out and, right on cue, pumpkin spice has returned to coffee shop menus everywhere. Love it or hate it, pumpkin spice has become far more than a seasonal flavour. Its arrival signals the start of autumn in much the same way that certain adverts, products and traditions tell us Christmas is on the way. From coffees and candles to homeware and beauty products, those familiar warm colours and seasonal flavours seem to appear almost overnight. 

But from a marketing perspective, there’s something particularly interesting about it. Pumpkin spice has become a brand without actually being a brand. So, how did a combination of spices become such a recognisable part of the season – and what can businesses learn from it? 

It sells a feeling, not just a flavour

Good marketing isn’t simply about telling people what a product or service does. It’s about understanding why someone should care about it. Pumpkin spice is a surprisingly good example. The appeal isn’t necessarily the flavour alone. It represents everything we’ve come to associate with autumn: colder mornings, changing leaves, cosy evenings and the return of your favourite jumper. In other words, the product has become connected to an emotion and an experience. 

That’s something businesses of any size can learn from. Customers don’t experience your business as a list of services or product features. They experience how you communicate, how easy you are to deal with and, ultimately, how your product or service makes them feel. Understanding that bigger picture can turn a straightforward marketing message into something far more memorable. 

Scarcity creates anticipation

Part of pumpkin spice’s success comes from something very simple: you can’t have it all year round. Seasonal products naturally create a sense of urgency. When something is only available for a limited period, customers have a reason to act now rather than putting off a purchase until later. More importantly, its return becomes something people anticipate. 

The same principle can be used in marketing without relying on gimmicks. A limited collection, annual event, seasonal service, product launch or even a recurring piece of content can give your audience something to look forward to. When customers begin anticipating what you’ll do next, you’ve created a relationship that goes beyond a single transaction. 

Consistency makes it instantly recognisable

Think of autumn marketing and there’s a good chance a fairly familiar palette comes to mind: oranges, browns, creams and deep reds. Pumpkin spice has become part of that visual language. You don’t always need to see the words pumpkin spice to understand what’s being communicated. The colours, imagery, packaging and language can do much of the work. 

That’s the power of having a consistent brand identity. Your logo is important, but your brand is much bigger than your logo. Colours, typography, photography, messaging and tone of voice all contribute to how people recognise and remember a business. Ask yourself: if you removed your logo from your latest piece of marketing, would your customers still recognise it as yours? If the answer is yes, you’re probably doing something right. 

It has become a ritual

There is a difference between buying a coffee and going out for your first pumpkin spice latte of the year. For some people, that first one has become a small annual tradition – a signal that autumn has officially started. That might sound insignificant, but creating habits and traditions around a product can be incredibly powerful. Think about some of the world’s most recognisable seasonal campaigns. We don’t simply see them; we expect them. 

Businesses don’t necessarily need a global advertising budget to achieve something similar. It could be an annual event, a seasonal promotion, a regular email, a customer tradition or a piece of content people look forward to. Consistency can turn marketing from something customers happen to see into something they actively expect. 

Customers have become part of the campaign

Perhaps one of the cleverest parts of pumpkin spice marketing is how much promotion happens without brands having to ask for it. Every autumn, social feeds fill with seasonal drinks, café trips, autumn walks and the inevitable “first one of the year” post. Customers aren’t simply buying the product. They’re sharing the experience. 

For businesses, that’s an important distinction. We spend a lot of time thinking about what businesses should post on social media, but there’s another useful question to ask: What could we create that our customers would want to post about themselves? 

It might be clever packaging, a great customer experience, an event, an unusual product, a beautiful location or simply something worth talking about. Word of mouth has always been valuable. Social media has simply given it a much bigger audience. 

So, what can businesses learn from pumpkin spice?

We’re not suggesting every business needs to add cinnamon, orange leaves and the word cosy to its next marketing campaign. 

But there are some useful lessons behind the seasonal hype. 

• Know what you’re really selling – Features matter, but so does the feeling or experience your customer associates with your business. 
• Give people something to anticipate – A well-planned launch, event or recurring campaign can build interest before it even begins. 
• Be recognisable – Consistent branding helps people identify your business before they’ve even read your name. 
• Create reasons to return – Marketing shouldn’t only focus on attracting someone once. Think about what will bring them back. 
• Make your business worth talking about – The best marketing isn’t always what a business says about itself. Sometimes it’s what customers choose to say about it. 

A little seasonal thinking can go a long way

Pumpkin spice proves that great marketing isn’t about shouting the loudest. It’s about knowing your audience, being recognisable and giving people a reason to care. 

At Yellow Cherry, we turn ideas into marketing that connects and delivers results. 

If your marketing is feeling a little out of season, maybe it’s time for something fresh. 

Get in touch with the Yellow Cherry team and let’s see what we can create.