Dunkin Donuts is a coffee and doughnut corporation based in the United States, as well as a quick-service restaurant. Dunkin Donuts and Baskin Robbins eventually became subsidiaries of the Dunkin brand. And later renamed Dunkin in 2019. It is one of the largest coffee shops and donut shop chains in the world. 

How did Dunkin Donuts raise its profits and achieve its reputation? The answer will be known from the process of the marketing strategy of a company. This case study will dig deeper into the marketing strategy of Dunkin Donuts.

But first, let us understand Dunkin Donuts as a company.

About Dunkin Donuts

It was established in Quincy in 1950 by William Rosenberg. It was acquired by Baskin Robin’s company in 1990. Then change the name to Dunkin!. In 2020 it was purchased by Inspire brands and led as a large beverage-led company. With the effect of its rebranding, the company rolled out into the international markets as well. The company launched its first branch in India in April 2012 and has been people’s favourite since then. Dunkin’ offers delivery and on-the-go pick-up service to satisfy everyone’s appetites and comfort while also serving as a wonderful hangout spot for family and friends.

As per the reports in 2020, Dunkin has over 12,900 locations and stores spread across 42 countries, Dunkin has become one largest coffee and donut stores-chains in the world. Throughout the Dunkin Donuts Company’s planning, the customer’s interests are constantly kept in mind. They regularly allude to their goal statement, which states that they would improve customer happiness and loyalty by providing the fastest and most accurate service, as well as the freshest products in the nicest and cleanest environment possible.

Now we have learned about the company DUNKIN DON UT(DUNKIN), let us learn about the company’s marketing mix.

Marketing Mix of Dunkin Donuts

The marketing mix refers to the mixture of the four components that make up a company’s marketing system: the product, price structure, promotional activities, and distribution system. In the following section, we’ll look at Dunkin’ Donuts’ marketing mix.

1. Product 

Being a fast-food joint, it mainly sells donuts, burgers, hot and cold beverages[like coffee, mocha, iced tea’s and fruit shakes], wraps, and snacks. The company decided to get coffee back in 2014 thinking it might be their most profitable product. And in 2018 it became a successful strategy. Since coming internationally in 2014, its menu now has been spread across the world. 

Dunkin has started giving combos with giving donuts, beverages, and burgers together.

2. Pricing 

The prices of the different products are not very high and quite affordable. The company has different prices in different countries, which is called Global Pricing. This strategy is used to ensure better quality products at an affordable price to customers.

3. Place and Distribution Strategy

With over 12,900 restaurants spread across 42 countries, it has been one of the world’s major fast-food food joints. Now it has started picking up its online way to order the products. Dunkin has partnered with Jubilant fast-good food for franchising in India, with a little less than 100 stores. It has opened in the form of online marketing also.

4. Promotion 

The company promotes its brand by having a bright logo on its cups and packaging material. This helps in recognizing and memorizing the logo easily. It has changed its tagline in India to ‘Dunkin Donuts and more’ because in India doughnut-eating culture was not present at that time. And also brought new flavors in India to attract customers like mango, litchi, and many more. 

 

Marketing Strategy of Dunkin Donuts

Marketing strategy is a method that allows a company to focus its resources on the most promising opportunities to grow sales and gain a competitive advantage that lasts. The marketing strategy of Dunkin Donuts is unique. It uses unique marketing techniques to get out to its customers rather than traditional marketing techniques. The brand maintains a low profile in the media due to its marketing strategies. Continue reading to learn how to do it.

Social media marketing

If you want to be a customer’s favourite and gain their loyalty, you must be social. Dunkin Donuts understands how to engage its customers through social media platforms. Dunkin Donuts’ Instagram page is a visual treat for customers. It adheres to strict branding requirements and displays its recipes on the page alongside appealing graphics and videos.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CSuPCERnb8w/?utm_medium=copy_link

Furthermore, because the company operates its franchise in a variety of worldwide places, it establishes different accounts for each location, as there is a different type of content to offer to audiences from various backgrounds. The brand uses the Twitter network to receive client questions and answer with the best possible response. Dunkin’s tweets are hilarious, such as this one: “Me @ my local Dunkin: I’ll have…   The crew: The usual?”

So the goal of their social media marketing approach is to engage clients by creating fascinating content that they can’t help but try out.

 

Event Marketing and Sponsorships

Dunkin Donuts is a big deal when it comes to event promotion. Event marketing is beneficial, but it is even better when a company sponsors major events. Madison Square Garden Company and Dunkin Donuts had a multi-year deal. It became a sponsor of the NBA basketball team, the National Women’s Hockey League, and several other clubs. Being a sponsor of the biggest sporting event increases brand awareness.

Dunkin Donuts is also a sponsor of America’s Got Talent, a prominent television reality show. Dunkin Donuts raises brand recognition on a large scale by partnering with a show with a large audience.

 

Target Audience

Age 18-25 years old, age 25 years old and above, and family are the three characteristics of Dunkin Donuts coffee’s target consumers. Table 3 displays the target consumer’s attributes.

The target consumer’s characteristics Targeted for the following reasons:

• Between the ages of 18 and 25, this entire group is made up of adolescent students and young professionals on a tight budget.
• Above the age of 25: Due to their hectic work schedules, they frequent restaurants frequently, and they have relatively high earnings and spending flexibility.
• Businessman: This group does not consider Dunkin Donuts coffee to be a high-end product, and it is simple to grab meals on their way to work.

 

SWOT Analysis of Dunkin Donut

Strengths-

• International Presence with stores across 42 countries has gained its power internationally.
• Customer service- the company has paid attention to its service. They have provided training and learning programs to their employees and thus result in the best service.
• Strong portfolio- after entering into the new markets, it has created huge success and thus has created a very strong brand portfolio.

Weakness-

• Competitors – being a fast food joint it has competitors like Starbucks. it has a low share in the coffee market in foreign markets. Starbucks has over 40% share while Dunkin has only a 14% share in the market.
• Franchising – there are not many franchises worldwide compared to our competitors and has a deficiency in control and management.

Opportunities-

• Healthy food- nowadays people have become very health conscious and thus Dunkin can start adding healthy and safe food into their menus.
• Expansion – compared to Starbucks which is in 65 countries this company has only been in 42 countries. It can expand and increase its sales volume.
• Research and development – Dunkin can invest more in research and development and know more about its target customers and competitors.

Threats-

• Competitors – KFC, Starbucks, McDonald’s, and burger king are the main competitors which are growing rapidly. Thus it has also increased its pace.
• Healthy lifestyle- with rapid changes in lifestyle people or customers have adopted healthier lifestyles.
• Seasonal demand- some products are demanded based on seasons like cold beverages only in summer.

Conclusion

The purpose of Dunkin Donuts’ marketing strategy is to make customers aware of their brand in any manner feasible. Dunkin’s entire marketing strategy is aimed at attracting customers’ attention. Dunkin Donuts’ advertisement style evokes emotions in the audience, whether it’s surprise or laughter. The brand appeals to a vast customer base thanks to its unusual communication.

One of the most important lessons learned from Dunkin Donuts’ strategy is the importance of proactive communication with customers. Brands should be aware of current events and incorporate them into their marketing strategies, which Dunkin Donuts excels at.

If you enjoyed our analysis of Dunkin’ Donuts’ marketing strategy, be sure to check out our other blogs for a series of case studies on various other organizations’ marketing tactics.

If you want to learn how to create campaigns similar to Dunkin Donuts, consider exploring reputable institutes like IIDE that offer Online Digital Marketing Courses in India. 

IIDE also offers various other digital marketing courses for people just like you if you want to learn these abilities for yourself. So begin your self-improvement journey right now!

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