Dunkin’ was squeezed between Starbucks and McDonalds. They had doubled down on product experimentation, but the strategy hadn’t translated to sustained growth. Forgettable ads were forgotten, and traffic was on an 8 year decline.

Dunkin’ had to steal attention—and sales—from their competitors. To do that, they had to make a seismic impact on culture.

We built a Hollywood-style Cinematic Universe with multiple chapters, crazy characters, and a depth of content so entertaining, people sought it out on their own. And along the way, we built a real fandom.

While Dunkin’ is a national brand, its soul is found where it all began: Boston.

Boston has a character all its own, and it’s proud. It produced cultural touchstones like Cheers, The Departed, and dominant global sports brands like the Red Sox (MLB) and the Celtics (NBA). The accent is a beloved American icon.

Famous Bostonians are as proud of their Boston heritage as anyone. For some figures, Boston becomes a part of their public persona.

Such is the case for Ben Affleck. Ben’s global stardom has been rooted in his Boston upbringing since his breakout performance in Good Will Hunting, and he’s one of America’s true A-listers. He’s a two-time Oscar winner, a renowned performer and director, and he’s married to fellow A-lister Jennifer Lopez, who appears in the work.

He’s been photographed carrying Dunkin’ since the 90s. Known for his meme-inducing moments of ennui, a 2020 paparazzi photo captured the actor struggling to carry a large Dunkin’ order, prompting fans online to share widely, dubbing it a quintessential “Boston moment” and Ben a “relatable king.”

Ben and Dunkin’ shared the same Boston qualities: relatability, blunt honesty, enthusiasm, and a willingness to enjoy a joke, even if it may be at his own expense.

In this work he is joined by Matt Damon, childhood friend and Bostonian, and fellow A-list actor; as well as Tom Brady, 7x Super Bowl champion quarterback, 6x for Boston’s NFL team, the Patriots.

One week prior to Super Bowl ’24, we released a teaser during The GRAMMYs: after Ben’s promotion to Dunkin’ brand ambassador he’s preparing for an even bigger impact. Boston-based TikToker Charli D’Amelio is his dance coach. Young rap talent Jack Harlow tries to dissuade him. Ben refuses to be stymied. There is a To Be Continued cliffhanger. Two more social teasers drop before SB ’24.

Then during SB ‘24, Ben reveals his passion project. He crashes JLo’s recording session to reveal his new jumpsuit-clad, star-studded “man-boy band”, The DunKings, featuring Tom Brady and Matt Damon. They dance to an original pop track, then pose. JLo’s overwhelmed, Matt Damon’s chagrined, Tom is just happy to be there, and Ben walks away with the last laugh—Dunkin’s is naming a drink after them.

Dunkin’s advertising was on a marketing treadmill, messaging around constant menu updates. To no end—traffic was declining. And that traffic was going to Starbucks and McDonalds.

Dunkin’ did own traffic and attention in their historic home in the Northeast. 47% of adults in Boston order Dunkin’ at least once a month, and brand love is sky high.

But regional success hadn’t translated to national success. They were too reliant on their core loyalists: 43% of Dunkin’s total sales came from the Northeast, a region representing only 10% of the US population.

The challenge was extending that dominance to the rest of the country. Dunkin’ needed to raise their profile and drive awareness, positive sentiment, and, ultimately, sales.

Dunkin’ had to launch themselves over the heads of their competitors in the public conversation. And that meant creating an undeniable cultural moment that would put Dunkin’ on everyone’s radar.

On St. Patrick’s Day, over a month after the original DunKings spot aired during the Super Bowl, the Governor of Massachusetts addressed a huge audience dressed in a DunKings tracksuit. With the Lt. Governor, she recited the spot word-for-word.

We saw kids perform the spot at talent shows, and little girls singing the song to themselves at the dentist.

It’s fair to say, the spot stuck.

All in, “The DunKings” surpassed all expectations, earning 40.4B impressions (more than Dunkin’ saw in all of 2022), 96% positive sentiment, and selling out merch in 19 minutes.

And across all three chapters of the Universe, Ben + Dunkin’ generated: :

69.1 Billion Earned Impressions

+14pts brand awareness pre- to post campaign

+11pts consideration pre- to post campaign

+10.7% in sales pre- to post campaign

+20% in new visitors compared to previous two years

2 record-setting sales days