Dunkin’ Donuts is an American multinational restaurant chain that offers quick services. The restaurant was founded by William Rosenberg in 1950 in Quincy, Massachusetts, and is currently headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts (Schmidt and Oldfield 119). Dunkin’ Donuts forms one of the world’s largest coffee and baked foods chains, with over 12,000 branches in 36 countries around the world. Some of Dunkin's products include bagels, donuts, different iced and hot beverages, and other baked foods (Butler n.p). Dunkin’ Donuts acquired Mister Donut, its main competitor, in 1990 and converted Mister Donut’s North American locations to Dunkin Donuts (Schmidt and Oldfield 120). The company made an announcement in September 2018 about its strategy to change its brand name from Dunkin’ Donuts to Dunkin’ as from January 2019 (Rousseau n.p).
The company’s current slogan or motto is "America Runs on Dunkin'." The company revealed its alternative slogan “You 'Kin Do It!" in March 2009, and at the same time launched an advertisement campaign promotion valued at $100 million (Butler n.p). The "It's Worth the Trip" campaign launched by the company in the 1980s starred the slogan "Time to make the donuts" and featured sleepy-eyed "Fred the Baker," which made it win the Television Bureau of Advertising's honors as one of the top five television adverts of the 1980s (Schmidt and Oldfield 122).
Dunkin’ Donuts also has a close connection with the New England Patriots and the Boston Red Sox, and the company makes its commercials at the beginning of each team’s session. The company also sponsors several other professional sports clubs, including the New York Yankees, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Rays, and New York Mets (Butler n.p). Besides, in January 2018, Liverpool, an English football club, unveiled a multimillion-pound partnership with Dunkin’ Donuts. The company also sealed a sponsorship deal or agreement in December 2015 with the National Women's Hockey League (NWHL), which made Dunkin' Donuts be the official NWHL's hot, frozen, and iced coffee (Butler n.p).
One of the latest news about Dunkin’ Donuts is that the company, in April 2018, announced BBDO as its primary advertising agency, substituting Hill Holliday, which had been producing Dunkin' Donuts' digital, print, billboard, and broadcast advertising for about 20 years (McIntyre n.p). Hill Holliday was the advertising agency that came up with the Dunkin' Donuts current slogan, "America Runs on Dunkin'." The company also named ARC/Leo Burnett to be in charge of all its in-store promotions (McIntyre n.p).
In September 2018, the company made an official announcement that it would change its brand name to Dunkin’, with effect from January 2019. According to the company's management, "Dunkin'" is already a commonly used name among the chain's customers and the chain's marketing. Therefore, the rebranding of the company would reflect its continuous shift toward becoming a beverage-led brand (Rousseau n.p).
On the 24th of October 2018, Dunkin’ revealed one of the brand’s most significant initiatives in the company’s recent history, with the aim of providing a completely new espresso experience for its U.S. customers by the holiday season (Rousseau n.p). Dunkin’ is determined to sell itself as the provider of the greatest tasting and highest quality espresso beverages. With new espresso recipe, new state-of-the-art espresso equipment, new espresso cups, and extensive restaurant training, Dunkin’ plans to serve handcrafted iced and hot espresso beverages, including cappuccinos and lattes, featuring balanced, smooth, and creamy taste that meets the quality desired by espresso customers (Rousseau n.p).
On Sunday, 11th November 2018, Dunkin' celebrated Veterans Day by giving veterans and active-duty military personnel free donuts of their choice from all Dunkin' restaurants across the country. The provision of free donuts to veterans and active military personnel on the Veterans Day was part of the company’s continuous efforts to demonstrate its appreciation and support to those who serve the country (McIntyre n.p). In its latest 2018 financial report, the company reported a net income of $195.5 million from $56.1 million the previous year (McIntyre n.p).
Works Cited
Butler, Lilah. "Coffee's Dark Secrets: Linguistic Variation in Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts". Lingua Frankly, vol 4, 2018. Boston College University Libraries, doi:10.6017/lf.v4i0.10391.
McIntyre, Heather. "Dunkin' Donuts Salutes Veterans with Free Donut on Veterans Day". 2018, https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/dunkin-donuts-salutes-veterans-with-free-donut-on-veterans-day-300548565.html. Accessed 14 Nov 2018.
Rousseau, Steve Rousseau. "Dunkin' Donuts Rebrands To Just Dunkin' — Which Is Just Fine, I Think". Digg, 2018, http://digg.com/2018/dunkin-donuts-rebrand. Accessed 14 Nov 2018.
Schmidt, Ruth A., and Brenda M. Oldfield. "Dunkin’ Donuts ‐ The Birth Of A New Distribution And Franchising Concept". British Food Journal, vol 100, no. 2, 1998, pp. 119-124. Emerald, doi:10.1108/00070709810204110.
