Runs on Relevance: How Dunkin’ Made Coffee Cool Again
A brand marketing case study on Dunkin’s Donuts and Data insights
In the crowded world of coffee chains, Dunkin’ could have stayed a nostalgic favourite, a brand commuters love, but one unlikely to spark TikTok trends or meme moments. Instead, the 75-year-old company has flipped the script, turning a simple morning stop into a cultural touchstone for Gen Z and millennials.
Since April 2025, Dunkin’s brand awareness in the coffee shop chain category has dropped from 90% to 86%. However, Dunkin’ has seen a 4% increase in brand preference, a meaningful shift, because preference isn’t just about recognition; it’s about identity.
People aren’t just noticing Dunkin’ Donuts anymore, they’re choosing it. In the world of caffeine loyalty, even a 1% shift in brand preference can take years, yet Dunkin’ achieved a 4% increase in months, which equates to 4 million more adults claiming they prefer the brand.
In marketing effectiveness terms, preference is the holy grail. Awareness tells you who’s seen you. Consideration shows who might choose you. But preference shows who wants you and is most likely to become repeat purchasers — it’s the closest leading indicator we have for future market share growth. Research from the IPA and Ehrenberg-Bass Institute consistently shows that brands with higher preference scores convert mental availability into commercial advantage. They’re more likely to be bought, recommended, and remembered at the point of choice.
This case study, in partnership with Tracksuit, explores whether this growth was because of their marketing campaigns, as Dunkin’ has leaned into showing why being culturally relevant has become a driving force for the coffee chain in 2025.
The data used in this case study is based on the coffee shop chain category in the US over the past 6 months from April – September 2025.
Dunkin’s Origin Story
Dunkin’s story began in 1950, when William Rosenberg opened the first “Dunkin’ Donuts” in Quincy, Massachusetts, promising “the best coffee and donuts in town.” For decades, the brand’s identity was rooted in its no-frills Americana: pink and orange branding, humble efficiency, and a product lineup that fuelled office workers and early risers.
But by the mid-2010s, the coffee landscape had changed. Starbucks had become shorthand for status. Indie roasters were designing cafés like art galleries and so, Dunkin’ needed a cultural refresh.
In 2018, the company rebranded, dropping “Donuts” from its name to become simply Dunkin’, reflecting a shift toward beverage-led growth and a streamlined, modern image With 170.1 million people in the category - that’s almost 7 in 10 adults - who visit coffee shop chains, Dunkin’ operates in a large and competitive category, sitting at 67% penetration.
Today, Dunkin’ operates over 14,000 stores worldwide with a market cap of $6.53 billion.
Dunkin’s 2025 Marketing Campaigns
To explore what might be driving this phenomenal uplift in preference, we can take a look at the variety of marketing campaigns from this year.
Dunkin’ has reframed their brand from just coffee and donuts to a lifestyle choice, as they target younger, on-the-go consumers seeking value and convenience.
Dunkin’s 2025 Super Bowl spot showcased the revival of the ‘Dunkings,’ the fictional boy band of coffee obsessed Boston icons starring: Ben Affleck, Casey Affleck, Jeremy Strong, Bill Belichick, and Donnie Wahlberg. This Super Bowl spot rewove Dunkin’ into pop culture, shifting their coffee from a product to a moment in entertainment.
By leveraging A-list humour, Dunkin’ reinforced itself as a brand that’s fun, self aware, and culturally relevant – a tone that has been successfully carried forward into the rest of its 2025 campaigns.
The brand further leaned into pop culture with yet another A list collaboration, 2025’s pop it-girl, Sabrina Carpenter.
Following their last collaboration with the star in 2024, Dunkin’ tapped the singer again for a Strawberry Shortcake inspired drink. The collaboration played off of Carpenter’s vintage aesthetic and tongue-in-cheek humour revealing a short of ‘Sabrina’s Daydream Hotline’ to promote their new drink.
The blend of music as well as pop culture tapped directly into this younger demographic by catering to the values and tastes which resonate with younger consumers.
According to Tracksuit data, 32% of category buyers are 18-34 years old, so driving relevance and emotional connection with this demographic is essential to build the foundations and relationship for sustainable, long term growth. Dunkin’s decision to partner with Sabrina was a strategic and successful choice which has further strengthened their uplift in preference.
Tracksuit data shows that one of the key demographics driving this uplift in brand preference is 25-34 year olds, which aligns neatly with Dunkin’s focus on culturally relevant partnerships such as this one with Sabrina.
But if you think the celebrity partnerships finish there, this is just the beginning as the brand’s May campaign for their $6 meal deal had a Hollywood heartthrob filled cast including James Marsden, Dylan Efron, and Charles Melton to name a few.
The host of heartthrobs gave a hilarious revelation as the punchline of the campaign revealed they’re not just a snack…they’re the whole meal. Dunkin’s use of celeb powered humour turned a simple discount into a smart lifestyle hack, the ultimate fuel for busy mornings, making the everyday Dunkin’ run feel effortlessly on trend.
Beyond campaigns, Dunkin’s social media presence has become one of its most powerful tools in driving brand preference and cultural relevance. Their social media strategy is relatable and fun, prioritising community over content.
Regularly, the brand amplifies and engages the voices of its fans featuring photos, comments, and user generated videos. Their comment replies are quick, witty, and authentically human, often jumping on the back of jokes or replying with memes that perfectly capture the brand’s playful personality. This creates organic community engagement breaking the barrier between company and consumer.
Even its product drops feel like moments, not marketing. Dunkin’ has mastered the art of turning its iconic menu moments like the Pumpkin Spice Season into sharable participatory experiences, where fans do the marketing for them and create hype.
Gaining Brand Loyalty
A 4% increase in preference in several months represents not just marketing success, but cultural relevance. Dunkin’ isn’t just being noticed, it’s being chosen.
Preference is a lagging indicator of how people feel about a brand. It shifts only when perception and salience work together over time. It’s the most behaviourally entrenched stage of the funnel because it reflects emotional memory, not just exposure.
In plain terms, people change their coffee order slower than they choose what snacks to eat, so purchasing habits are more sticky. For Dunkin’ to increase preference while awareness slightly declined means they’ve sharpened their meaning with their core audience: people who know them, now like them more.
The brand also converts awareness to consideration at 75%, where the competitor average is 66%. This tells us that more people consider Dunkin’ once they become aware of it, compared to their competitors, proof that the brand’s cultural presence is translating into genuine consumer intent and loyalty.
Data & Donuts
In the social media economy, brands compete for share of attention. Dunkin’ realised early that to win Gen Z, it had to stop marketing to them and start speaking with them.
The brand’s social-first strategy has paid off: by mid-2025, Dunkin’ has amassed 3.5 million TikTok followers (with over 37 million likes) and nearly 2.8 million Instagram followers, outpacing many legacy competitors in engagement rates.
Compared to Starbucks, Dunkin’ is favoured in terms of being perceived as ‘affordable’, ‘sweet’ and recognised for their donuts. Starbucks on the other hand is associated with negative themes such as ‘expensive’, ‘pricey’ and ‘overpriced’.
Dunkin’ maintains loyalty through affordability, trust, and convenience aligning brand meaning with the lifestyles and values. They’re leading against competitors on the brand statements “value for money” (61%), “is a brand I trust” at 64% and “is for people like me” at 64% This reinforces Dunkin’s positioning and reason for the 4% increase in brand preference.
Why Measurement Matters
When it comes to measuring brand impact, Dunkin’s story goes beyond standout creative or celebrity power. It’s a story of proof. With Tracksuit, marketers can see precisely how cultural bets translate into brand health gains.
That 4% lift in preference wasn’t chance; it was the measurable result of campaigns that built genuine, emotional connection with a new generation of fans.
This is the power of always-on brand tracking: transforming “we think it worked” into “we know it did.”
Runs on Relevance
From a small idea in Quincy to one of the most culturally relevant brands today, Dunkin’s journey proves that heritage brands can thrive in a new cultural economy.
It’s no longer just about coffee and donuts, it’s about creating shared moments that feel relatable, fun, and part of the cultural conversation.
By understanding where its audience lives, laughs, and scrolls, and engaging with authenticity, Dunkin’ reads the cultural room with humour, creativity, and heart.
Instead of chasing trends, Dunkin’ seamlessly integrates into them, collaborating with pop culture and everyday relatable life moments in ways that feel effortless and genuine.
What Marketers Can Learn
Dunkin’s resurgence serves as a blueprint for brand leaders navigating the complexity of modern marketing.
It proves that brand fame isn’t built through campaigns, but through culture, with cultural participation driving preference faster than paid media ever could. Its success also underscores the quiet power of consistency over virality: each campaign built on the last, compounding meaning and momentum over time, a progression made visible through Tracksuit’s month-to-month data.
Most importantly, Dunkin’ demonstrates that proof earns creative freedom. By evidencing real shifts in brand preference, its marketing team could confidently champion bold ideas and unlock greater investment for future growth. In a results-driven era, the brands that will endure are those that connect creativity with commercial clarity — and can prove the value of both.
Data discussed in this article has been provided by Tracksuit, the affordable, always-on brand tracker built for marketers and agencies.
Their team has put together a quick video on how you can use the dashboard to make big brand campaign bets like Dunkin’ and prove they worked.
OMG you're right. People slept on dunkin and they turned things around...another thing...they are GLOBAL. they are literally everywhere and in the countries you'd least expect.
The 4% lift in preference is impressive but awareness dropping at the same time is interesting.
Is Dunkin’ sharpening its core audience at the cost of broader reach?
Long-term growth usually needs both. Curious how that balance plays out.