The recent news cycle has not left us short on laughs, with this story in particular being a neck-tacular example of the power of viral items. Dunkin’ (née Donuts) is looking to draw a few additional chuckles from the masses as they expand their enjoyment of “the most wonderful time of the year.” In conjunction with its “Sipping Is Believing” campaign that centers on espresso options, the beverage behemoth is calling on outlandish branded apparel that, sadly, the public cannot purchase.
It seems as if Dunkin’ has received enough press this year to last a semi-eternity, so here it goes again with a bit of publicity that is sure to have end-users wondering what the powers that be are putting in their own coffee come brainstorming sessions. Last Wednesday, the bigwigs called on Janet Rock, its manager of culinary innovation (what a title!), to explain the differences among its four espresso offerings. While the very existence of the drinks would be enough to lure consumers to Dunkin’s locations, the company is having a bit of fun with their advertising of them.
Dunkin' mocks branded apparel trend with 'cappu-chinos,' 'americano-veralls' and more: https://t.co/oKpTvfQCyl pic.twitter.com/HaqXKYdTy0
— ADWEEK (@Adweek) November 19, 2018
We have come to enjoy profiling the branding apparel revolution that food industry constants such as Arby’s, IHOP, KFC, McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Wendy’s have unveiled, and we had hoped that Dunkin’, thanks to its alignment with BBDO New York, would fully join them in giving consumers stylish means to profess their beverage and pastry allegiance, but that has proven all for naught. Sadly, the Massachusetts-headquartered chain is using espresso-themed clothing only as visual aids to sell the drinks. No matter how intense our admiration might be for the Cappu-chinos, Americano-veralls and the Latte-nk Top, we will have to be content with watching the spots over and over again.
Companies are always looking for a competitive advantage, so it would have made flawless sense for Dunkin’ to have made these novelty shirts available even in very limited supplies. Its decision not to leaves us pondering what else the entity has up its (beverage) sleeves. Could Dunkin’ be preparing to venture into the world of utterly eccentric branded apparel, or will these items exist only as spoofs that prove consumers’ infatuation with coffee?
One wonders if an answer could come Black Friday, as that day will find 25,000 end-users benefiting from Dunkin’s partnership with Lyft to receive free rides to donut havens across the country. We would so love to discover that that promotion has some ties to a broader existence for the three shirts, but even if it has no link and the chinos, overalls and tank tops have a limited shelf life, we can still always go back and watch their promo videos.
