I recently wrote about the new Dunkin Donuts ad campaign, which I mentioned was part of a national effort to spread the chain beyond its Northeast roots. (I've also since learned that the Dunk has just about deserted Alabama in the 10 years since I last lived here...sniff.)
Anyway, at the time, I noticed that Slate's ad review said that Dunkin was positioning itself as the working man's Starbucks. Dunkin's drink sales have far exceeded donut sales, so its true competitior is now the Seattle Siren, not the Southeast Sugarmomma (Krispy Kreme).
Today, AdAge has an analysis of Starbucks and how it could face a surprisingly strong competition from (drumroll) Dunkin Donuts! It's an interesting read, especially if you share my obsession with coffee.
I don't have any strong opinions on this emerging rivalry, except to say that I stopped into a Dunkin Donuts while consulting in Kankakee a few months back, and it looked like the steam wand on the espresso machine hadn't been cleaned in days. I'm serious...days. Looked like it had been dipped in concrete. That's a mortal sin in the barista world. It's DAIRY, people. Of course, I failed to mention that this donut shop was in a gas station, but still...
In case the AdAge article requires a log-in (it's free) or the link becomes unavailable, here's an interesting bite from today's piece:
"What should the new owners of Dunkin' Donuts do with the brand? Well, I believe they do have credibility in coffee, but not the Starbucks stuff. They need their own coffee twist. They need to be the opposite of Starbucks. Strong No. 2 brands don't emulate the leaders, they become the opposite.
"Listerine was the bad-tasting mouthwash, so Scope became the good-tasting mouthwash. Home Depot was male and messy, so Lowe's became female and neat."
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