• 4 min read
• May 14, 2026

We all have a “thing”, right? Something we love. Something that lights us up.

But sometimes, we don’t feel like we can share our “thing” with others. We have ideas or niche interests we don’t talk about or hobbies we keep to ourselves. We make ourselves smaller so we can fit in with everyone else.

88% of people told us they feel like they have to “edit themselves”. And 93% feel pressure to tone themselves down in at least one setting – whether that’s at work, at university or even around friends.

That’s why Starbucks Chilled Coffee has teamed up with Grammy-nominated DJ and producer Jax Jones to help you to embrace whatever brings you joy with our new platform: WHATEVER YOUR THING, we’re in.

So, grab your favourite Starbucks Chilled Coffee and let’s take a closer look at the creative process that brought the new campaign to life – and read to the end to see how you can get involved.

The science of your “thing”

We spoke to Professor Paul Dolan, Behavioural Scientist at the London School of Economics and Political Science to understand why having a “thing” actually matters. We learned that sometimes, the hardest part isn’t actually finding your “thing”, but just finding the headspace for it. 

“We often drift away from the goals, people and experiences that genuinely matter to us because of social pressures, comparisons with others and the demands of modern life,” Professor Dolan explains, “Behavioural science shows that people thrive best when they allocate their time and attention to what might be called ‘their thing’. The challenge isn’t always about finding it but, rather, protecting it.”

In our survey, 72% of young Millennials and Gen Z agreed they’d feel happier if they had the confidence to be fully themselves in life’s defining moments.       

So, we asked ourselves: how can we inspire more people with the confidence to own what they’re into.  

Seize your main character moment

Until now, the ready-to-drink category has often been defined by what you need more of – more energy, more focus – but with Starbucks Chilled Coffee, we wanted to take a different approach.

 “It’s about owning what you’re into, and that’s something I’ve always connected with,” says Jax Jones

Our idea was simple: rather than tell you what you need, we celebrate the thing that makes you, you.

As Charlotta Oldham, marketing director EMEA at Starbucks, explains: “Starbucks has always been at its best when it brings people together with what they love. Our new platform, ‘WHATEVER YOUR THING, we’re in’, reimagines Starbucks Chilled Coffee as the companion to personal passions and reinforces the need to protect ‘your thing’.”

Whether you’re a knitter or a skydiver, a chess master or a skateboarder, Starbucks Chilled Coffee is the everyday sidekick to your “main character energy.” It’s the same coffee you know and love. We’re just showing up in a different way.

A new summer anthem

We know the best moments can be made even better with the right soundtrack. That’s why we teamed up with Jax Jones to remix the iconic Basement Jaxx track Do Your Thing. Originally released in the late 90s, it was a hit song all about self-expression, individuality and making your own rules.

Now, we’ve asked Jax to reimagine the hit for a new generation of listeners, inspiring them to embrace being unapologetically themselves.

“Do Your Thing is a classic tune that takes me back to the 90s, so being asked to put my own spin on it was a real moment,” says DJ Jax Jones, “the message still feels just as relevant now—it’s about owning what you’re into, and that’s something I’ve always connected with.”

Now, the only thing missing is you.

So…what’s your thing?

Maybe it’s something you loved doing when you were a kid. Or maybe it’s just something you’ve always wanted to try. Now is your moment.   

From 13 May, the Do Your Thing remix by Jax Jones will be available to use on TikTok or Instagram . You can show us your “thing” using #whateveryourthing #StarbucksChilledCoffee.

Because whatever it is…we’re in.