Dunkin’ into trouble!

What do you do when a major storm hits? Well I don’t know about you but I take cover and wait it out. Next question, what does a brand do when dealing with controversy or a crisis? Well, they really can’t afford to wait it out. That would mean losing valuable customers and having to deal with more negative publicity if that brand can’t contain the problem. Now please take a gander at the picture below.

 

This is a 2013 ad Dunkin’ Donuts ran in Thailand featuring a woman who is wearing blackface and promoting the new Charcoal Donut. It received backlash in the United States and Dunkin’ pulled the ad and apologized to the public and those who were offended by the piece of advertising. The most interesting part to me about the story is the CEO of the franchise in Thailand was confused as to why people were offended by it. Also since the release of that campaign and before it was taken down, the franchise in Thailand had seen a 50 percent increase in sales. While as a whole Dunkin’ had to respond to the insensitivity the ad created, the difference between cultures plays a big part into why this particular ad wasn’t as offensive in Thailand vs. the U.S.

Culture norms are obviously different if Thailand. They are important to think about but a brand needs to be aware of what other aspects of its franchise are doing to avoid problematic situations like this. Even though this brought a bit of backlash, and as far as I can tell Dunkin’ Donuts responds fairly quickly and knows how to handle though problems. They are ready for when the next storm hits.

References:

Gecker, Jocelyn. “Dunkin’ Chocolate Doughnut Ad — Is It Racist? – NBC News.” NBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/dunkin-chocolate-doughnut-ad-it-racist-f8C11040936&gt;.

Stanley, T. L. “Dunkin’ Donuts Apologizes for Blackface Ad, but Not Everyone Is Sorry.” AdWeek. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/dunkin-donuts-apologizes-blackface-ad-not-everyone-sorry-152172&gt;.

Photo: Stanley, T. L. “Dunkin’ Donuts Apologizes for Blackface Ad, but Not Everyone Is Sorry.” AdWeek. N.p., n.d. Web. 20 Nov. 2014. <http://www.adweek.com/adfreak/dunkin-donuts-apologizes-blackface-ad-not-everyone-sorry-152172&gt;.

Icon Blog 3: The Social Butterfly

Those people in the video have got some sweet moves!! Moving along on this Dunkin’ Donuts research ride, our next stop is their use of social media. From an outside perspective I would say they are doing just fine with social media. I found the video above as a #TBT on their Twitter page the date November 6, 2014 from a #DDanceforDarkRoast contest. In this video they revealed the winners and runner ups in the contest.

This isn’t the first time Dunkin’s has interacted with consumers of the brand. In 2012 they had a Facebook campaign launched called “What Are You Dunkin’.” Fans submitted answers and each entry had the chance of being the grand prize winner. In 2013 they had a Twitter and Facebook campaign using the handle #mydunkin. This one is similar to the dance video above. A fan one and then had the chance to be featured with their #mydunkin story. I think these campaigns are #clever.

I discovered they first began their social media presents on both Facebook and Twitter in 2008, so social media isn’t a new arena for them. I found some information on their social media strategy and can see why it is successful. They like to say their fans “own” social media. This strategy helps them create content that is relevant to the area they are in and more engaging for followers.

Dunkin’ Donuts has effectively developed and implemented their social media plan. As long as no drastic changes happen in the company think they will continue to thrive in the social media arena and keep their fans happy.

References:

Aceto, Ali. “Dunkin’ Donuts Blog.” Behind The Beans. Dunkin’ Donuts, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://www.dunkindonuts.com/DDBlog/2013/10/behind_the_scenesof.html#sthash.r9sjfoD1.iiRHgsON.dpbs&gt;.

“#DDanceforDarkRoast Contest Finalist Mashup!” YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 06 Nov. 2014. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KSLulrvJC3s&index=2&list=UU6p8ND29iGJGr-Etl3-3PJA&gt;

“For Our Fans.” DunkinDonuts.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://www.dunkindonuts.com/dunkindonuts/en.html&gt;

Sohn,Tim. “How Dunkin’ Donuts Uses Social Media – SocialTimes.” SocialTimes. Social Times, n.d. Web. 04 Nov. 2014. <http://socialtimes.com/how-dunkin-donuts-uses-social-media_b100752&gt;.

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