The Inkwell

During a time when retail success is measured by market share and customer loyalty, Dunkin Donuts continues to thrash Starbucks, the original pioneer in converting the coffee cup into a fashion icon.

Not only has Dunkin thrown down the gauntlet with their Dunkin Beats Starbucks campaign – yes, you too can send viral e-cards boasting “Friends Don’t Let Friends Drink Starbucks” and “Hate to Say I Told You So” to those friends and co-workers who still think Starbucks is better – they have also launched a new ad campaign backed by honest-to-goodness data.

The part of this ad that jumped out and grabbed me is the statement “We don’t work around our schedule, we work around yours.” Forget I’m in advertising, that’s just damn good to hear today. We’re certainly not hearing it from the utilities who power our homes (you’ve got to love that cable install/repair window of 9 a.m. – 3 p.m.), or the airlines or our doctors.

This campaign works because it’s real. It’s timely. And because it embraces the very fact that, as marketing professionals, we must do more than dabble in today’s experiential consumer movement. Simply put, give your consumers what they want, when and how they want it, or you’re roasted. In this case, that’s a good thing.