Dunkin’s Social Media & Marketing Strategy for Attracting Young Consumers
Need a coffee fix? If you have been choosing Dunkin’ over Starbucks lately it might be because Dunkin’s marketing efforts especially on social media are working. Earlier this year in the spring the Piper Sandler Taking Stock With Teens survey ranked Dunkin’ as the number four restaurant brand among upper income teens.
One of the main ways Dunkin’ tries to stay relevant with young consumers is through TikTok. Dunkin’ was one of the first brands to really tap into the power of TikTok and has succeeded, painting a picture of what brands need to do to win over consumers on the platform. If you are curious about how to engage more young consumers, especially on TikTok then consider these eight moves Dunkin’ has made.
1. Get in early. Dunkin’ was ahead of many other retailers in realizing the potential of TikTok and then investing in influencer marketing on the platform. First movers have an advantage and now Dunkin’ has 3 million followers on TikTok, a much higher follower count than McDonald’s which has 1.9 million followers and Starbucks which has 1.7 million followers.
2. Partner with influencers that already promote the brand. Last year Dunkin’ partnered with Charlie D’Amelio, the most followed person on TikTok with over 130 million followers. D’Amelio posted about Dunkin’ on her own accord for a while and racked up millions of impressions for the brand for free. Dunkin’ saw the potential of working with the social media star and formalized a partnership with her last year.
The partnership with D’Amelio included Dunkin’s release of two limited time offer drinks named after her, The Charli, a Dunkin’ cold brew with whole milk and three pumps of caramel swirl and The Charli Cold Foam which adds Dunkin’s Sweet Cold Foam to the The Charli with cinnamon on top. Dunkin’ also released a Charli x Dunkin’ merch collection. Not wanting to stop there, Dunkin’ also gave fans the opportunity to join a virtual hangout with D’Amelio where she provided tips on how to create viral social media videos.
The partnership was so popular Dunkin’ sold hundreds of thousands of Charli’s cold brew drink within the first five days after the launch of the campaign. By the second day Dunkin’s cold brew sales increased by 45%. There was also a 57% increase in Dunkin’ app downloads the day the drink first launched. “For us to be able to put her drink on the menu board and have that partnership really showed how successful it can be to really just audit our consumers’ habits and then reflect them on the menu,” said Jill Nelson, Dunkin’s head of marketing strategy. “We saw people not only coming in and buying it, but actually downloading and ordering through the app.”
3. Engage employees in social media campaigns. Dunkin’ has a program where employees can become TikTok crew ambassadors. These ambassadors post videos on TikTok on a wide variety topics, from menu items to how to make Dunkin’ drinks and are compensated for their work on the social media platform. Since employees often post on TikTok on their own accord about their retail jobs this approach gives Dunkin’ a say in the process. Speaking about why brands are focusing more on TikTok, Social Chain USA managing director Oliver Yonchev said: “brands are finally starting to loose their ego by producing things that people want, rather than what the brand wants. Those that are taking bolder steps with their marketing tactics are certainly winning.”
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4. Use social media to find super fans. Dunkin’ spends time on TikTok actively looking for fans of its brand and then finds ways to engage with them. One of the ways it engages with fans on social media is by only following users that actively show love for the brand on TikTok.
At first Dunkin’ only followed D’Amelio, and that was even before it entered into a partnership with her. Now Dunkin’ follows 20 people. "We only follow those who are really die-hard Dunkin' fans," said Melanie Cohn Rabino, the director of brand engagement for Dunkin’. "We want to keep that group small, and we have worked with them to create content and help us launch products." Dunkin’ even has challenges to find the next TikTok creator to follow.
5. Create fun merch to keep consumers engaged. Dunkin’ has a line of merch tailored for GenZ and Millennial fans of the brand. The merch includes colourful onesie’s, pajamas pants, sweatpants, bedding, hats and even wedding day attire including a satin robe and a ring bearer pillow. “While we can’t comment on specific sales, we often see items sell out almost immediately,” said Rabino. Selling merch might seem odd for a fast food brand but it allows customers with a strong affinity for the brand to show their love. Dunkin' merch is so colourful and quirky it’s easy to see how the merch will create free marketing for the brand as creators post fun videos of themselves wearing it on social media.
6. Use menu items as a way to garner attention. Dunkin’ adds quirky items to its menu as a way of drumming up interest in the brand. In February it added avocado toast and a matcha donut to its menu. Last year it launched a spicy ghost pepper donut. Then in June Dunkin’ added popping bubbles to its menu, a play on bubble tea which has become increasingly popular in the United States in recent years. Popping bubbles, just like the name suggests, pop in your mouth. Customers can add the bubbles to any Dunkin’ iced or frozen drink.
7. Get involved with fun challenges. Dunkin’, like many brands also sponsors TikTok challenges. Last December Dunkin’ launched the #DunkinMenuHackContest” where TikTok users were encouraged to post ways they take standard Dunkin menu items and make them better. Dunkin’ then selected the best menu hacks which were added to Dunkin’s menu for a limited time. Winners were also given a $100 Dunkin’ gift card, and a Dunkin’ onesie.
8. Leverage the popularity of reality stars. Dunkin’ has also leaned into reality stars to attract customers by having Bachelor in Paradise stars Ashley Iaconetti Haibon and Jared Haibon promote a line of bridal inspired merch. This move is similar to one that several fast fashion brands like Fashion Nova have taken where they built a following by eschewing traditional models and instead focused on reality stars in addition to social media stars.