The Coffee Run

As anticipation builds for the Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games Milano Cortina 2026 on Feb. 6 and the Big Game on Sunday, Feb. 8, Starbucks is introducing a new ad campaign.

‘The Coffee Run’ ad will debut during the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 opening ceremonies on Feb. 6, with additional placements before and after the Big Game. It will also run on Feb. 8 during the pre-and post-post Super Bowl game.

Starbucks is the Official Coffee Partner of Team USA for the Winter Games, and the ad features Team USA Olympic and Paralympic athletes––including Amber Glenn, Elana Meyers Taylor, Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike.

Inspiration
A coffee run is simple, yet meaningful universal ritual that inspires connection. It’s more than a quick errand; it’s a gesture of care that strengthens bonds among friends, colleagues, and loved ones, whether shared in a café, at work, or even on the slopes.
The campaign reinforces Starbucks role in the rituals that bring people together, from everyday moments to once-in-a-lifetime global events. 
Details
‘The Coffee Run’ reimagines the familiar concept of a coffee run as an epic, cinematic, Olympic-scale journey.
The film follows a man on a sweeping journey through a snowy mountain town, zipping through streets on a scooter greeting locals and dropping off Starbucks coffees to members of the Winter Games community and Team USA winter athletes. 
Along the way, coffee is handed off to members of the extended Team USA community, including Olympic athletes (Elana Meyers Taylor and Amber Glenn) and Paralympic athletes (Oksana Masters and Aaron Pike) and the many people working behind the scenes to support them. 
Set to a playful, a cappella–inspired track, the film builds in repetition and scale as the runner repeats the journey for one more coffee, ending with a final request at the top of a mountain before cutting to his return to Starbucks, welcomed by a knowing smile from a barista who recognizes him. 
Highlighting the feeling of warmth and joy when someone brings you a coffee, ‘The Coffee Run’ is a celebration of the dedication, craft, and human connection that goes into every cup, reminding us that a little coffee goes a long way.
Directors and Production Notes
Director duo: Julian & Quentin
Debuting during one of the busiest advertising moments of the year––Olympics & Super Bowl weekend––a deliberate point of distinction in this film is the analog approach, crafted to feel cinematic rather than commercial, and leading with storytelling.
To honor the craft at the heart of The Coffee Run, the film was put through a film out process, transferring the 90-second film to physical film and back introduced texture, grain and imperfection that couldn’t be replicated digitally, grounding the work in the lineage of authentic Italian cinema and giving it a tactile, timeless quality. 
Music
The music choice was led by directors Julian & Quentin, who were drawn to iconic American composer Burt Bacharach––famous for his unconventional, highly crafted arrangements. 
The song “South American Getaway” brings that sense of action and chase that make the film so catchy. 

Anomaly is the creative agency that Starbucks partnered with us on the ad campaign.