Game of Throne’s clanger hands Starbucks (SBUX, $78.02) free advertising worth billions
It's rumored that American coffee giant Starbucks garnered an estimated $2.3 billion in free advertising when a similar looking coffee cup was spotted in one of the episodes of the HBO fantasy epic ‘Game of Thrones.' It was later revealed, however, that it was just a craft services cup!
Close viewers could easily spot a cup incongruous to the setting of the drama and though the label was muddled in the show, within hours the speculation that it could be a Starbucks cup went viral on social media.
Following this coffee cup hullabaloo, analysts tallied 10,627 mentions of Starbucks coffee and ‘Game of Thrones’ together across different online, TV and radio broadcasts across the world. Separately, social media and monitoring platforms like Talkwalker counted more than 193,000 mentions within 48 hours on social media platforms like Twitter.
Experts say it's impossible to quantify how much free advertising Starbucks gets out of this, but they were all unanimous to agree on the power of Starbucks brand. But in reality, public response has more been to HBO’s mistake on placing that cup on the sets than on the coffee cup itself.
If the cup were a product placement, then it would have cost six figures. But since HBO is not ad-supported, advertisers typically do not pay for product placement but supply the product to the show offsetting the cost of production rather than pay a flat fee for their products to appear. And all of this came free to Starbucks thanks to HBO’s silly mistake!
The 5th May episode of Game of Thrones drew 11.8 million viewers for its first airing, down ~2% from the prior week.
SBUX in -0.47% downward trend, falling for three consecutive days on October 05, 2026
Moving lower for three straight days is viewed as a bearish sign. Keep an eye on this stock for future declines. Considering data from situations where SBUX declined for three days, in 173 of 300 cases, the price declined further within the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 58%.
Technical Analysis (Indicators)
Bearish Trend Analysis
The Momentum Indicator moved below the 0 level on September 04, 2026. You may want to consider selling the stock, shorting the stock, or exploring put options on SBUX as a result. In 49 of 85 cases where the Momentum Indicator fell below 0, the stock fell further within the subsequent month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 58%.
SBUX moved below its 50-day moving average on September 04, 2026 date and that indicates a change from an upward trend to a downward trend.
The 10-day moving average for SBUX crossed bearishly below the 50-day moving average on September 10, 2026. This indicates that the trend has shifted lower and could be considered a sell signal. In 7 of 17 past instances when the 10-day crossed below the 50-day, the stock continued to move higher over the following month. The odds of a continued downward trend are 41%.
The Aroon Indicator for SBUX entered a downward trend on October 05, 2026. This could indicate a strong downward move is ahead for the stock. Traders may want to consider selling the stock or buying put options.
Bullish Trend Analysis
The RSI Indicator points to a transition from a downward trend to an upward trend -- in cases where SBUX's RSI Indicator exited the oversold zone, 16 of 28 resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are 57%.
The Stochastic Oscillator suggests the stock price trend may be in a reversal from a downward trend to an upward trend. 34 of 62 cases where SBUX's Stochastic Oscillator exited the oversold zone resulted in an increase in price. Tickeron's analysis proposes that the odds of a continued upward trend are 55%.
The Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) for SBUX just turned positive on October 02, 2026. Looking at past instances where SBUX's MACD turned positive, the stock continued to rise in 31 of 51 cases over the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 61%.
Following a +0.60% 3-day Advance, the price is estimated to grow further. Considering data from situations where SBUX advanced for three days, in 171 of 297 cases, the price rose further within the following month. The odds of a continued upward trend are 58%.
SBUX may jump back above the lower band and head toward the middle band. Traders may consider buying the stock or exploring call options.
Fundamental Analysis (Ratings)
The Tickeron SMR rating for this company is 10 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating very strong sales and a profitable business model. SMR (Sales, Margin, Return on Equity) rating is based on comparative analysis of weighted Sales, Income Margin and Return on Equity values compared against S&P 500 index constituents. The weighted SMR value is a proprietary formula developed by Tickeron and represents an overall profitability measure for a stock.
The Tickeron PE Growth Rating for this company is 12 (best 1 - 100 worst), pointing to outstanding earnings growth. The PE Growth rating is based on a comparative analysis of stock PE ratio increase over the last 12 months compared against S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Valuation Rating of 21 (best 1 - 100 worst) indicates that the company is slightly undervalued in the industry. This rating compares market capitalization estimated by our proprietary formula with the current market capitalization. This rating is based on the following metrics, as compared to industry averages: SBUX's P/B Ratio (-20.594) is slightly lower than the industry average of (5.328). P/E Ratio (55.069) is within average values for comparable stocks, (37.793). Projected Growth (PEG Ratio) (1.128) is also within normal values, averaging (7.754). Dividend Yield (0.026) settles around the average of (0.020) among similar stocks. P/S Ratio (2.901) is also within normal values, averaging (2.618).
The Tickeron Price Growth Rating for this company is 57 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating steady price growth. SBUX’s price grows at a higher rate over the last 12 months as compared to S&P 500 index constituents.
The Tickeron Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for this company is 100 (best 1 - 100 worst), indicating that the returns do not compensate for the risks. SBUX’s unstable profits reported over time resulted in significant Drawdowns within these last five years. A stable profit reduces stock drawdown and volatility. The average Profit vs. Risk Rating rating for the industry is 86, placing this stock worse than average.
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General Information
a producer of coffee and tea
Industry Restaurants
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