This post was originally written by DeVries PR’s own Jess Greco on PRBreakfastClub. Enjoy!
It’s no big secret that I am a bigger Dunkin’ Donuts fan than most. This weekend, in the wake of New Jersey’s monster hurricane, I traveled to three different Dunkin’s just to get hash browns and an iced coffee, and then I went to a fourth one later that night. Today I somehow found myself in a Starbucks and asked for a medium iced coffee three times before I realized I was supposed to say Grande. Dunkin’ is sort of always on my brain.
And I’m definitely not the only one. Last month, Dunkin’ Donuts was named number one in customer loyalty (in the coffee category) for the fourth straight year, which shows just how many people in the United States have made stopping at the infamous chain part of their daily routine. Of course the question that a study like this raises is, what is it that Dunkin’ Donuts does that inspires such utter devotion among their consumers?
I won’t be so bold as to claim that their activities in Social Media is the sole answer to this question (I mean have you ever had their Coconut Iced Coffee? It’s seriously delicious). However, I do think that they do a particularly fantastic job of taking advantage of all that social media has to offer and using it to reach their customers. They were one of the first brands that I really started actively following on Twitter and Facebook and I have truly enjoyed keeping up with all of the things that they do.
Aside from their “Create Dunkin’s Next Donut” contest, Dunkin’ doesn’t do a ton of large-scale, media attracting social media initiatives. It’s the small things that they truly excel at. They know how to keep consumers engaged and interested on a daily basis and they have a way of making you feel like you’re special, even as just one of their millions of consumers. They may not make a huge splash by doing ridiculous things that no one has ever heard of, but I would argue that it really doesn’t matter. By making the consumer the focus of their brand (which goes along perfectly with their “America Runs on Dunkin’” slogan) instead of the brand itself, Dunkin Donuts has ensured that they will stay loyal.
The brand’s Twitter account is a great model for companies looking to try their hand at the service….
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Jess Greco is an Account Coordinator for the Fabric Care team and works on two exciting brands, Downy and Bounce. She is a self-proclaimed foodie, social media enthusiast, and pop culture junkie.
