Starbucks is Japan’s leading coffee chain, with over 1,100 stores nationwide. However, competition intensified in 2015 with the rise of third wave coffee, low-cost campaigns by rivals, and national rollouts by local chains. For Starbucks, the seasonal release of new products for occasions like Christmas and the spring SAKURA campaign celebrating traditional Japanese cherry blossom viewing have long been a key means of boosting the brand’s mind share.

Yet despite such efforts, Starbucks faced two challenges. Firstly, the repetition of such campaigns meant they no longer seemed fresh. This was especially true in the post-Christmas winter period, when many competitors had joined Starbucks in launching new chocolate beverages and running Valentine's Day promotions, making it difficult to set the Starbucks brand apart. Second, Starbucks had struggled to maintain a consistent mind share, with the period between the Christmas and SAKURA campaign peaks, representing a major lull.

In just half a day, Starbucks completely transformed its store near Shinjuku Station—the world’s busiest transport hub, used by over 360 million people each day. The first step was simulating the silence of winter. As snow creates a tranquil atmosphere through the absorption of sound, the company employed sound-dampening materials used in recording studios to recreate this effect, applying some 3,000 panels for a glacial silence. Background music was eliminated, except for selected spots where directional speakers quietly projected a winter soundscape of rustling trees and gentle bells. Visually, snow was evoked using fluffy white fittings, and ceiling decorations with a snowy mountain motif. For a limited time, the normally green Starbucks logo became gleaming white.