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.

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.

In the main spot, Ben Affleck debuts a Dunkin’-themed Boy Band, The DunKings, featuring Tom Brady, Matt Damon, and himself.

This video takes place “behind the scenes,” and features Matt Damon and Tom Brady tossing a football back and forth.

Ben Affleck heckles Matt, and then interrupts, stepping in to catch a throw from Tom Brady. Tom does a light toss, and Ben insists he throw it as hard as he can.

“Please don’t hurt him,” Matt asks.

Tom throws like the NFL quarterback he is, and Ben has to duck out of the way as it goes screaming past, too fast to catch. He insists he just wasn’t ready for it.

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, which represents 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.

And to do that, we had to create more than a spot. We had to create a universe of content that would invite people to seek more content, and join the fandom on social.

In total, “The DunKings” earned 40.4B impressions, had 96% positive sentiment, sold out merch in 19 minutes (!!), and wrapped an incredible year in the Dunkin’ Cinematic Universe.

This video, “Wasn’t Ready,” has over 1.7M organic views on YouTube, 25M on Instagram, and 5.8M views on TikTok, for a total of 32.5M views.

As one commenter on TikTok said, “I would watch this TV series all day.”

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% new visitors compared to previous two years

2 record sales days