In the last few days, I heard two people talking about the rebranding of Dunkin Donuts. One is a super smart Senior Vice President, Strategy and Marketing at Edison Research and the other is my 91-year-old Mom, Bea.
Dunkin’ Donuts decided to drop the word donuts from their brand and focus on Dunkin. Why?
Rebranding is difficult and is often complicated. On The Marketing Companion Podcast with my friend Mark Schaefer and his co-host Tom Webster, they commented on this topic. Tom made several insightful points. He is also a frequent Dunkin’ customer, so he sees the brand evolving first-hand:
- Dunkin’ focuses on operational mobility. The word and image of donuts no longer communicate this new message.
- The chain wants to increase and grow its ability to get orders faster to customers.
- They have been using the slogan, America Runs on Dunkin’ which aligns with their mobility strategy. So eliminating donuts aligns with their core brand message they have been marketing for the last year or two.
- Starbucks is a third-place between work and home. Dunkin’ wants to serve the fast-paced mobile consumer of today who is on the run and isn’t looking to sit and chill. (Tom commented that in new locations, they are changing the seating too to reflect this strategic intent).
The other conversation I had about Dunkin’ Donuts was with my 91-year-old mom who is also a frequent customer. She loves to pop in for a coffee and a few donuts. She can’t understand why they would change their name and eliminate donuts from their brand. “Why does everything have to change.” Mom and I don’t talk about marketing that often, but I can see from her perspective how strange this appears to her and others who are happy with the status quo.
Brands Live in Segments and Evolve
Rebranding is tricky because you have customers like Tom and my Mom.
Different ages, different stages in life yet both fond of the brand and their products. Tom works at Edison Research and is an analytical guru with a keen eye for seeing markets shift and changes. And, he is also a consumer of the brand.
Mom is merely a consumer, buying coffee and donuts – not thinking much about brands. She thinks about how fresh the donuts are that day and whether the help is friendly. She recently shared a story about how the clerk in the store helped carry her coffee and donuts out to her car.
Brands live in segments and can be different experiences for different consumers.
But a brand has to move in a strategic direction recognizing where the future and growth will appear. Some things must be common to all segments who experience it but the brand lives in the consumer’s mind and experience, not in the corporate office.
My mother may be confused by the brand change, but she isn’t going to give up a convenient location with coffee she likes and donuts that make her day. Tom goes with the coffee flow.
Where Does Your Brand Live?
How well do brands translate into other languages? Check out this cool infographic from my friends at Day Translations
Brands exist in the minds and hearts of different customers. How they see you depends in part on the story, they tell themselves about their experience. Your brand starts with strategic intent and everything from convenience, freshness, and taste has to align. You can’t focus on fast-past and mobile AND try and be a place to slow down. Dunkin’ is evolving because their customer’s needs are shifting.
Watching a rebranding done right can help you think about percolating your brand’s future.
Thinking about a rebrand? Let’s talk. You can set up a time to chat with me about your marketing challenges using my calendar. Email me jeffslater@themarketingsage.com Call me. 919 720 0995. The conversation is free, and we can explore if working together makes sense. Try my new chat feature on my site if you have a quick question.
Check out The Marketing Companion Podcast. Filled with lots of humor, humanity and joy and the occasional marketing conversation too. Pick up a copy of Tom’s informative book about The Mobile Commerce Revolution. Also, Mark Schaefer has a new book coming out soon called Marketing Rebellion. I’ll review it in a future post.
Infographic source: Day Translations
Photo: thom-holmes-556809-unsplash
