Here’s a look back at the talk that started it all. In 2012, I got an opportunity to speak at LeWeb in Paris about Dunkin’s social media program. At the time, I had been speaking at conferences all over the U.S., but this was my first big opportunity overseas. Little did I know that this trip and speaking engagement would bring so much to my life. Here are a few examples:

1. It’s where our first book was conceived. Ekaterina Walter and I decided to write our first book, The Power of Visual Storytelling: https://geni.us/tLZIy, after an inspiring week in Paris together. We shared a hotel room and joke that our first book was literally “conceived” in Paris. How romantic 🙂
2. Meeting so many incredible people. Many people I met at LeWeb have become lifelong friends. Speaking in different countries and conferences truly expands your network in the best possible way and broadens your perspective.
3. Challenging myself. This was my first talk on a big stage at an international event. Since 2012, I’ve improved a lot as a speaker. It’s a great reminder that if you want to be a good public speaker, you need to put in the reps.

Here’s a summary of my talk below, plus the full video on YouTube. I hope this inspires you to keep putting yourself out there and keep telling the stories that matter!

Introduction

Today, I’m thrilled to take you on a journey into the heart of Dunkin’ Donuts’ social media strategy. Fasten your seatbelts, and let’s dive into the secrets behind keeping the company’s passionate fans running on social media.

Building the Dunkin’ Brand

First things first, let’s look at the history and growth of the Dunkin’ brand. Dunkin’ dates back to 1950, where the first restaurant opened in Quincy, Massachusetts. Over time, Dunkin’ has evolved from a regional restaurant group into a global brand with over 10,000 restaurants in 32 countries. Dunkin’ serves a whopping five million customers daily, and what sets us apart is the incredible passion of our fans. They don’t just love Dunkin’, they live for it. They cannot imagine a morning without their coffee from Dunkin’, plus boosts from coffee or other menu items during the day.

The Social Media Team

So, how do we keep the Dunkin’ love flowing on social media? Well, it starts with our fantastic cross-functional team. In my role as the global head of social media, I quickly realized that we needed a high level of collaboration in order to deliver the best fan experience, but also to deliver maximum ROI and value to the business. As a result, our cross-functional social media team comprises of folks from communications, interactive marketing, digital media, advertising, customer care, and yes, even legal. We believe in the power of teamwork, and every voice on our social media channels is a genuine Dunkin’ voice.

Engaging the Fans

We believe our social media channels don’t belong to us; they belong to our fans. Listening to our fans is our superpower. Whether it’s their witty banter, day-to-day experiences, or their love for our coffee and donuts, we take it all in. We respond individually, fostering a two-way dialogue that celebrates our fans, no matter if they have five or 500,000 followers. This strategy allows us to celebrate loyalty, engage in 1:1 selling, and gather valuable insights to inform new menu items, marketing strategies, and other business decisions.

Fan Of The Week (FoTW)

As fan engagement is at the core of what we do, I shared some examples of how we celebrate fans through campaign. Our longest-running program, “Fan of the Week,” puts our fans on a pedestal on the Dunkin’ Facebook page. There’s a dedicated website for entry, where fans submit their photo (preferably with something from Dunkin’), plus a short story of how they run on Dunkin’. The winners are announced weekly when we swap out our profile photo to feature a different fan. In recent years, we have taken their passion for Dunkin’ beyond Facebook to a digital billboard in Times Square, where their faces and Dunkin’ love shine brightly. And yes, we send them a photo of their smiling face in Times Square. It’s the ultimate Dunkin’ fan bragging right!

Creative Campaigns

By putting fans at the center of our marketing campaigns, we are able to generate better ROI for the business. We have a strategy where each month, we run several campaigns and contests that promote new product offerings and holiday occasions, with the goal of driving in-store sales, brand and product awareness, plus opt-ins to the company’s loyalty program and mobile app downloads. Examples include #dresseDD, a Halloween coffee cup decorating contest where we challenged fans to dress up our coffee cups or a coffee mug in their house for the holiday for a chance to win a Dunkin’ gift card. The initiative allows us to collect user-generated content leading up to Halloween, giving us valuable content marketing opportunities to talk about our Halloween menu offerings.

Another example is when brands had to update their Twitter profiles to a more visual profile format, we seized the opportunity to make it a fun fan experience. Using something we called ‘adaptive canvas,’ we ran a ‘Flavor-Full HoliDDay Sweepstakes’ asking fans to vote for their favorite holiday coffee flavor for a chance to win a Dunkin’ gift card. As fans tweeted their vote for either Gingerbread, White Chocolate or Peppermint Mocha coffee and latte flavors, they saw the coffee cups in our Twitter profile filling up in real time.

Entering the Gaming Arena

Our partnership with The Sims Social was a game-changer. We had an incredible opportunity to be the launch partner for The Sims Social’s first-ever Facebook game. In negotiating this partnership, we knew that didn’t just want a billboard in the game; we wanted an experiential presence. In working with the fantastic team at EA, we integrated Dunkin’ menu items such as virtual coffees, donuts, lattes, and even a coffee machine into the gameplay. There were also some cool limited edition items such as a Dunkin’ branded lawn chair that became viral hits within the game! The success was phenomenal, with 30 million monthly active users in one month, 3.7 billion impressions, and a million new Facebook fans directly attributable to the partnership.

Looking to the Future

As we venture into the future, mobile is a big focus. Our mobile app launch was just the beginning. We aim to continue pushing creative boundaries, delivering irreverent and engaging content across all platforms. Our goal is to maintain the perfect balance of growth and engagement.

Measuring Success

Now, the million-dollar question – how do we measure success? While sales are an important part of the equation, growing our brand and focusing on fan engagement is the true heartbeat of what delivers these results. We closely monitor metrics, internal proprietary data, and the overall sentiment to ensure our social media efforts resonate with Dunkin’ lovers.

Conclusion

And there you have it, a glimpse into the Dunkin’ Donuts social media playbook that I have had the honor of building and running. We’re not just selling coffee and donuts; we’re brewing a community of passionate fans. So, whether you’re sipping on a cup of Dunkin’ in Boston or another glamorous location around the worlDD, know that you’re part of a global celebration of flavor, fun, and fandom.

For more of my speaking engagements, please visit: https://jessicagioglio.com/category/speaking-engagements/

Jessica Gioglio is the co-author of The Laws of Brand Storytelling and The Power of Visual Storytelling. Professionally, Jessica has led innovative marketing and public relations programs for Dunkin’, TripAdvisor, Sprinklr, and more. Today, Jessica is a keynote speaker (book her here) and founder of With Savvy Media & Marketing, a strategic branding, storytelling, and content strategy consultancy.