Dunkin’ Donuts To Challenge Krispy Kreme
So a few years back Krispy Kreme made some big branding mistakes and came up north. Trying to capitalize on their huge success down south it was assumed that us Yankees like to eat big, fat, sugar donuts. But not?so much and a majority of these new stores are now closed.
So can Dunkin’ Donuts do it? Can a big time Yankee brand go south to compete against Krispy Kreme? The short answer is…
Yes
Here’s why I think Dunkin’ will be king of the south. To quote my friend Jonathan Salem Baskin, branding and behavior go hand and hand. And Dunkin’ Donuts is the world champion of establishing morning coffee time behaviors. Their coffee is reasonable priced and tastes good (of course that’s subjective).
Dunkin’ used to be in the donut business but about 20 years ago they repositioned to be in the coffee business. They realized that big, fat, sugary donuts were more of a treat than an everyday occurrence. Do they sell lots of donuts? Better believe it. But coffee is everyday. And they sell their cup of Joe to the average Joe.
So it will be interesting to see if Dunkin’ will succeed where Krispy Kreme failed miserably.
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August 20th, 2008 at 2:25 pm
The short answer is NO. While they may look like competiors on the surface most of us in the south have the good sense to know how much better Krispy Kreme is. I have gone to the “new and improved” Dunkin Donuts. (they really need to take the Donuts out of their name). Krispy Kreme just rocks for a total sensory experience. You go into a Krispy Kreme, you SEE the Hot Donuts now sign, the factory behind the glass, You FEEL the warmth of the box when you buy the donuts, You TASTE to succulent donuts as the melt in your mouth. You HEAR the great word of mouth about how great Krispy Kreme is from friends and family.
I have tried the donuts at Dunkin Donuts. They are cold, taste bland and nasty. Krispy Kreme is heavenly. Most people I talk to Greenville,SC for instance liked Dunkin Dounuts the way it used to be before the got all “fancy” and they have tried them and everyone I talk to agrees with me that Krispy Kreme is better and Dunkin Donuts is a joke. I would feel better if Dunkin just took the donuts out of their name. It’s confusing. If you go to their web site you are hard pressed to even find and image of a donut. If I want coffee I will go to a place the specializes in coffee and Dunkin is not communicating that. Besides I don’t go to a place like that to get coffee. I either make it at home or go to a local coffee shop or speciality coffee chain.
All that being said has anyone every noticed that most food you get in coffee shops is over priced and not that good?
If food is part of of the picture I’d rather get some regular basic “bottomless cup” coffee at Waffle House or McDonalds and enjoy something more substantial like a good waffle or Egg McMuffin.
August 20th, 2008 at 2:35 pm
Patrick, I don’t think they will challenge on donuts at all. That’s not their strategy. They first go after the coffee business and then upsell all their food. People buy coffee everyday so they get them while their instore.
The people that buy their coffee are truly hardworking America. If you like your coffee from a specialty house they are not for you. Dunkin drinkers are blue collar we don’t want no fancy coffee drinkers. The opposite of what Starbucks used to be.
It will be very interesting but I think they will grab the coffee market. On a side note they are running through the caribbean as well. Aruba has two locations…
August 20th, 2008 at 10:46 pm
I think I said if I want a “special” cup of coffee I will go to a real coffee house but I really don’t perceive Dunkin as a “Blue Collar” place either. Even though I am not technicially a “blue collar” worker I do love to frequent “blue collar” places. I mentioned both Waffle House and McDonalds and places I would rather get my “everyday” coffee on the way to work and you can’t get much more “blue collar” than either of those places unless you include the “locally owned’ “meat and three” style place that also serves breakfast.
The point I was making was Dunkin Donuts is one confusing BRAND. Krispy Kreme definitely has better donuts (at least when they are fresh and that is when I like to get them. but Dunkin Donuts is really pushing the coffee more than the donuts but yet their brand name is focused on donuts? I don’t get it.