Dunkin Donuts: START

Credits & Description:

Category: Best Use of Integrated Media

Advertiser: DUNKIN' DONUTS

Product/Service: DONUTS

Agency: HILL HOLLIDAY

Date of First Appearance: Apr 1 2010

Entrant Company: HILL HOLLIDAY, Boston, USA

Co-Director of Media: Cindy Stockwell (Hill Holliday)

Director of Media: Nick Dunham (Dunkin' Brands)

Director of Spot Broadcast: Karen Agresti (Hill Holliday)

Media Director, Digital: Tammy Bondanza (Hill Holliday)

Associate Media Director - Network: Guy Rancourt (Hill Holliday)

Associate Media Director - Planning: Kelly Flaman (Hill Holliday)

Associate Media Director - Spot: Melisa Papagni (Hill Holliday)

Search Engine Marketing Manager: Renee Robertson (Hill Holliday)

Media Supervisor - Network: Allison Scharf (Hill Holliday)

Digital Strategist: Johnny Won (Hill Holliday)

Associate Media Director - Planning: Marianne Gaudelli (Hill Holliday)

Media Supervisor - Planning: Kim Hughes (Hill Holliday)

Media Supervisor - Planning: Heather Morin (Hill Holliday)

Media Supervisor - Planning: Kelly Butterworth (Hill Holliday)

Media Supervisor - Planning: Pat Urban (Hill Holliday)

Media placement: TV Campaign - Customized Brand Integration On Broadcast & Cable Networks In 104 Markets In US - 5 April 2010

Media placement: Radio - Traffic - Rush Hour Runs On Dunkin' - Entitled Multi-Platform (Digital/mobile) Traffic Par - 5 April 2010

Media placement: Radio - DJ Endorsements - 10+ Markets; 20+ Stations; Urged Listeners To 'start' W/Dunkin' - 5 April 2010

Media placement: Digital Display - MSN First Login - 100% SOV MSN Today Pg; 1st Monday & Tuesday Of Month, Pandora, - 3 May 2010

Media placement: Mobile - WeatherChannel, Pandora, 5+ Addtl Vendors (Daypart Targeted Product Promotion); - 7 June 2010

Media placement: Digital OOH - 5+ Markets (Boston, Hartford, Providence, NY, Philly, Etc) - 5 April 2010

Media placement: Search - Google, Yahoo, Microsoft, Citysearch, Yelp (Relevant Breakfast & Coffee Keywords - 1 April 2010



Insights, Strategy & the Idea

In 2010, competition in the Coffee/AM Food categories was fierce. That, combined with tightened purse strings in a down economy, meant that Dunkin’s budget needed to work harder than ever to drive traffic and sales. With some consumers forced to make hard choices regarding spending their disposable income, we needed to cast a wide net and devise a media strategy to speak both to the consumers who had known and loved DUNKIN' for part or all of its 60 years in existence, as well as the consumers for whom starting their day at DUNKIN' DONUTS was a relatively new concept. This mass reach strategy, further honed by beverage segmentation and current consumer insight/media consumption research that identified key times during the day (particularly the morning) that were most likely to be fuelled by DUNKIN' products, led to the idea of owning the first communication of the day to all consumers.



Creative Execution

Owning START meant securing the first communication of a consumer’s day – an experience that’s different for everyone. Our strategy of aligning DUNKIN' with not only the START of the consumer’s day but also of all activities throughout their routines (START of weekend, START of commute) aimed at capitalizing on those key times most likely to be fuelled by DUNKIN' products per the Beverage Segmentation research. Our media plan that leveraged a combination of TV (customized brand integration in 104 markets across the country), Radio (Rush Hour Runs On DUNKIN' – entitled multi-platform traffic partnership), DJ Endorsements, Digital Display (Pandora, Facebook), Mobile (partnerships with Weather Channel and Pandora), Digital OOH (elevator ads catching consumers at work), and Search (day parted to the morning and consumers ‘ waking up’ mindsets) created a surround-sound effect reminding consumers DUNKIN' is always there to help get them STARTED with tackling any aspect of their day.



Results and Effectiveness



This integrated campaign vastly over-delivered. In addition finishing the year 2010 with some of the strongest comp sales in the QSR industry, DUNKIN' DONUTS became #1 in customer Loyalty according to Brand Keys and earned the title 'Quick Service Restaurant leader in the hot regular/decaf/flavoured coffee and iced coffee categories, for the year ending December 2010,' according to The NPD Group / CREST®. The AM Facebook blocks drove total fans to 3.0MM+ with 71,000 new Perks registrations activated (DUNKIN's Rewards Program). 148,500 Facebook Fans were acquired via the Pandora program and search acquisition cost came in under $0.50 (goal $2.00)!