Dunkin' Donuts Rebrands To Just Dunkin' — Which Is Just Fine, I Think
Today, international coffee shop chain Dunkin' Donuts announced that going forward they will no longer brand themselves as such and from January 2019 on will be referred to as just "Dunkin'" thank you very much.
This, of course, is the logical extension of their tagline "America Runs on Dunkin'." And for a great many Dunkin' Donuts fans — insofar as anyone can be a fan of inexpensive, fast and unfussy coffee and baked goods — seems like a logical extension and reflection of what people already calling the place.
According to Dunkin's own press release, the choice to remove the "Donuts" comes from a long-running effort to get people into stores during the day. Within the past few years, Dunkin' Donuts has changed its drink offerings, expanded its food menu and is now trying to lose the "Donuts" to get people to think about them outside of their morning coffee stop.
It hasn't been easy! As Bloomberg's Tara Lachapelle wrote earlier this month on the health of the coffee chain, Dunkin's strength, its brand loyalty and identity, is also its greatest weakness.
No brand's fans may be more delicate and stubborn when it comes to change than Dunkin' Donuts loyalists. So even as the company focuses on making changes to its menu and store experience to drive customers to spend more per visit and attract younger folks, it has to be careful about how it goes about doing it for fear of alienating core customers.
I get it! Change is scary. Doubly so when change threatens to get in the way of you and your morning Dunkies. That said, being born and raised in New England, I feel like it is my birthright to pass judgement on any and all changes made to the coffee chain that started in Qunicy, Massachusetts nearly 70 years ago.
Growing up, birthdays were near-universally celebrated with Munchkins. The father of one of my friends in elementary school owned a franchised Dunkin' Donuts. The first coffee I ever had, and enjoyed, was from Dunkin' Donuts. When the local Stop & Shop finally installed a Dunkin' Donuts franchise, my parents suddenly just started enjoying a hot cup of Dunkies while they ticked off their grocery list. Where I grew up Dunkin' Donuts wasn't so much cherished as it was just an assumed fact of life. If you were getting coffee, you got it from Dunkin' Donuts.
So, as a New Englander: I think this rebranding is absolutely fine. Necessary? I'm not sure! I don't work there, I just enjoy the coffee, okay?
Sure, removing the "Donuts" creates a confusing grammatical situation where the verb loses its direct object — just what is being dunked again? — but the colors are the same, the typography is the same, the coffee is going to be the same.
I will say that the choice to go with "Dunkin'" over "Dunkies" is a snub to their most die-hard fans (read: people who live in New England). Although, if their aim is to get cool young people in Los Angeles to go to a Dunkin', then they're better off not using a phrase thrust into the popular lexicon by an SNL skit that stars an actor accused of multiple instances of sexual assault.
And as far as rebrands go, this seems like anything but a craven attempt to troll their customers.
