Krispy Kreme: Tapping ‘strategic doughnut reserve’ to help guests ‘beat the pump’

Krispy Kreme, a doughnut brand, launched a campaign to insert the brand into the inflation narrative, connect with customers and ease their pain at the gas pump by offering a dozen Original Glazed doughnuts to Americans every week for the national average price of a gallon of regular gasoline.

Assignment Description (Including Challenge)

In early 2022, gas prices across the U.S. soared to a record national average – $4.11 a gallon. By April, Americans' anxiety gauge was on "full" as gas prices surged to unknown height$ and inflation inflicted its stranglehold, forcing households to make hard choices about their finances and everyday living.

For Krispy Kreme Global Chief Brand Officer Dave Skena, this was a guts = glory opportunity. As he would later tell industry media about the brand's "institutional will to take a risk" by creating and implementing clever and credible PR-led campaigns around cultural trends and fast-moving...

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