- Starbucks’ Odyssey has announced its partnership with the Aku non-fungible token (NFT) collection.
- The latest Starbucks Odyssey Journey launch will include a Stamp “designed by Aku” and a $100,000 donation to Blessings in a Backpack, a non-profit that combats childhood food insecurity.
- The Aku collection, designed by former Major League Baseball player Micah Johnson, focuses on inspiring young children to dream big, and NFTs from the collection have been purchased by celebrities such as Trevor Noah, Pusha T, and Tyra Banks.
Odyssey, Starbucks’ Web3 loyalty program, has partnered with Aku, the non-fungible token (NFT) collection, to create its next digital collectible Stamp, now available on its dedicated Discord channel.
Micah Johnson, a former Major League Baseball player, created the Aku NFT collection, which focuses on inspiring young children to dream big and pursue their dreams. Several high-profile celebrities have expressed interest in the collection, with Pusha T, Trevor Noah, and Tyra Banks purchasing NFTs from it.
Micah Johnson thanked Starbucks for their support via his official Twitter
“I’m extremely grateful to @Starbucks for supporting our mission to not just be a character that represents good but a character that actually does good.”
The New Journey
Starbucks intends to launch the new Journey on July 17th. The new Journey, dubbed “Aku Adventure,” will allow Odyssey players to “embark on a new mission with Aku.”
According to a post on the Odyssey Discord channel, the new Stamp was “designed by Aku,” the Journey will be available only to Odyssey members until August 13th, 2023. In addition, as part of the launch, Starbucks announced a $100,000 donation to Blessings in a Backpack, a non-profit dedicated to addressing childhood food insecurity.
The Odyssey Project
Starbucks’ highly anticipated Odyssey program, which combines customer loyalty rewards with NFTs and other gamified elements, was launched in December 2022.
The Web3 extension of the massively popular Starbucks Rewards Program was available to a select group of waitlist members, including customers and existing employees. Participants in the program could participate in interactive “Journeys” and earn “Journey Stamps,” which took the form of Polygon-based NFTs. Users could also accumulate Odyssey Points to gain access to new benefits and experiences in the future.
At the time of the launch, the company stated, “Starbucks Odyssey is an experience surrounded by a digital community where members can come together, interact, and share their love of coffee. Starbucks is using meaningful elements of Web3 technology to reward members in innovative ways.”
The company has been rolling out limited-edition NFTs to the members of the invitation-only Odyssey loyalty program for a considerable amount of time.
In March, the company announced the release of “The Siren Collection,” which offered 2000 Stamps priced at $100. The Siren Collection was in high demand, with collectors reporting a slew of technical issues and lengthy wait times. Starbucks recently debuted the “Starbucks First Store Collection.” The collection consisted of 5000 stamps, each priced at $99. This launch had a far smoother launch than the Siren Collection.
Starbucks CMO Bradley Brewer stated that the company has been interested in blockchain for some time but has been waiting for a concrete way to use the technology to help expand its business and loyalty program. According to Brewer, the company wanted to make NFTs the gateway to the digital community but needed to be more clear about the exact nature of the technology to bring more users to the Web3 platform.
