Dunkin' Donuts and its branding dilemma

This event report discusses how Dunkin' Donuts, the American quick service restaurant chain, has tackled a major challenge: moving beyond the confines of its name to become recognised in other categories, especially coffee.

Dunkin' Donuts and its branding dilemma

Geoffrey PrecourtWarc

At some point, a brand name becomes so common that it is almost generic. General Electric, for instance, does a whole lot more than make light bulbs, but the public perception of the brand has expanded as its portfolio has grown far beyond its initial offerings. No one thinks of the Atlantic Telegraph and Telephone Company, with AT&T having market penetration far beyond the landline devices of old.

But imagine the on-going naming torment experienced by Dunkin' Donuts, the QSR chain that started with a single shop in Quincy, Massachusetts in...

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands