Over the last year, #Starbucks’ marketing has sought to get people back into the coffeehouse by reclaiming its place in culture. It's part of the "Back to Starbucks" strategy, which CEO #BrianNiccol says is intended to reclaim the brand promise. During the cover shoot for ADWEEK's October issue, we asked Niccol to explain the Back to Starbucks strategy, including how employees are factored in. The coffee house is chasing $2 billion in cost savings by 2028. It closed 627 stores in 2025 and another 250 in September, and has cut around 2,000 white-collar jobs since early 2025. Niccol previously said a leaner corporate structure would help Starbucks “operate more efficiently.” Meanwhile, it remains locked in an unresolved dispute with its unionized employees. Niccol wrote an open letter to employees (which the company refers to as "partners") in September. “Starbucks is back,” he declared. “Now we raise the bar.”