Dunkin’ was squeezed between Starbucks and McDonalds. Dunkin’ had doubled down on product seasonal ads. 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. They needed a game-changing collaboration and an irresistible visual.

Evoking the enthusiasm of Dunkin’s most famous fan, Ben Affleck’s journey reached its zenith during Super Bowl 2024, where he revealed his Dunkin’ themed boy band, The DunKings. Their matching retro tracksuits became the payoff image, earned media lede, and a viral superstar.

An (almost) exact version of The DunKings track suit was available for purchase on Dunkin’s e-commerce store the next morning. It sold out in 19 minutes. We restocked for x18 the original number, and sold out again. The track suit went on to co-star in appearances on Late Night With Stephen Colbert, The Today Show, and CNBC. Dunkin’ granted permission to MA’s Governor Maura Healey to create her own DunQueen’s version, featured in official social posts. And DunKings tracksuits continue active trading on collectible sites. Not to mention the incredible volume of knock-offs, riffs, and variations all over the

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.

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.

We made Ben Affleck, 50-something year old Bostonian and huge fan of Dunkin’, the Official Face of the Brand.

Over three chapters, the momentum around our “Dunkin’ Cinematic Universe” grew, as did people’s attachment to its main character: Ben, but More.

This Ben has more of a Boston accent, more pride in his love of Dunkin’, more desperation to seem relevant in front of young pop stars. In our final spot, Ben reveals his ultimate dedication to both 90s nostalgia and his love of Dunkin: the retro-inspired “man-boy band”, The DunKings. He even attempted some boy band choreography.

The self-referential, humorous core of the story helped drive billions in earned media.

We needed to give something back to these fans. So we made that humor, enthusiasm, and Dunkin’ love a symbol folks could buy for themselves: The DunKings tracksuit. After all, what’s more 90s boy band than matching track pants?

The tracksuits embodied all the core insights of the campaign.

The design was inspired first by the tracksuits that Ben Affleck and fellow DunKing Matt Damon wore in their star-making breakout movie, Good Will Hunting. (Which famously takes place in Boston). And, of course, by the boy band looks of the same era: think *NSYNC, Backstreet Boys, 98 Degrees.

The suits were intentionally colorful and zany, meant to be humorous. Still, every choice was intentional, from the custom patches to the donut zipper, to the Red Sox (MLB) logo on the sleeves. Every detail tracked back to Dunkin’, and to Boston.

When it came time to sell them, we wondered if we should simplify them, make them more “wearable.” But we sold them as they were originally designed, unapologetically over the top. And they sold out. Twice.

We trusted our fans, and they made our tracksuits famous.

The impact of the tracksuits was beyond all imagination—and not just because they sold out twice. They were on TV (The Late Show), at policial functions (the Gov. of Massachusetts repped them to the St. Patrick’s Day Parade), and on the stage (members of *NSYNC and the Backstreet Boys performed in them!). They were spotted at sporting events on the jumbotron, and people showed them off on TikTok.

In fact, the response was so massive that the global miniatures brand Funko Pop reached out to us for a partnership, incorporating the tracksuits into their “Pop Yourself” collection.

In total, “The DunKings” earned 40.4B impressions, had 96% positive sentiment, and wrapped an incredible year in the Dunkin’ Cinematic Universe.

All in, the DCU 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