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IBS Center for Management Research

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Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise O
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This case was written by Anil Anirudhan, under the direction of Debapratim Purkayastha, IBS Hyderabad. It was compiled from
published sources, and is intended to be used as a basis for class discussion rather than to illustrate either effective or ineffective
handling of a management situation.
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Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

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“This isn’t a change for the sake of change. Our new branding is a clear signal
that there is something new at Dunkin. It says we are a dynamic, on-the-go brand
yet still pays homage to our great heritage.”1

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- David Hoffman, CEO, Dunkin Brands Group, Inc.in September 2018
“No, You’re Dunkin Donuts, not just Dunkin. You’re gonna go to all Dunkin
Donuts a just take down the Donut part of the sign? 68 years is a long time, and
this is stupid to me to change the name after almost 70 years.”2

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- Bilda House, Customer, on Twitter a, in September 2018
On September 22, 2018, Dunkin Brands Group, Inc. (Dunkin), announced that it had dropped the

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name ‘Donuts’ from ‘Dunkin Donuts’ and rebranded itself to only ‘Dunkin’.3 Effective January 1,
2019, all the stores across the US were to display the new name and logo. 4 The change in the brand
name was the result of the company’s plan for a premier brand positioning in the beverages sector
and for relating more to the millennialb generation. As part of the rebranding exercise, Dunkin
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planned to shift its focus to teas and coffees and add a wide variety of menu items without
restricting itself to donuts. Changing consumer preferences and the need of customers for healthy
products were reportedly he triggers for the rebranding.
The rebranding was done in association with branding and creative agencies Jones Knowles
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Ritchie (JKR)c, Arc Worldwided, and BBDO New Yorke. The rebranding strategy was in tune with
the company’s plan to rebrand itself as a beverage-led brand which was customer friendly in terms
of service and efficiency. David Hoffman (Hoffman), CEO, Dunkin, said, “From our next
generation restaurants, to our menu innovation, on-the-go ordering and value offerings, all
delivered at the speed of Dunkin’, we are working to provide our guests with great beverages,
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delicious food and unparalleled convenience. We believe our efforts to transform Dunkin’, while
still embracing our incredible heritage, will keep our brand relevant for generations to come.”5
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The response to the rebranding initiative was somewhat mixed, with some observers harboring
strong feelings about it. What more should Hoffman and the marketing team at Dunkin do to
ensure that they realize the objectives that they set out to achieve with the rebranding?
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a
Twitter, founded in 2006 in San Francisco, USA, is a social networking and micro-blogging service
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based in the US.

b
Millennial is the identity given to a vaguely and broadly defined group of people. Any person born
between 1981 to 1994 is considered as belonging to the millennial generation. Millennials have
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considerable influence on the consumption patterns and companies try to satisfy them and align their
business goals in tune with their likes and dislikes.
c
Jones Knowles Ritchie (JKR), based in the UK and with New York, Singapore and Shanghai, is a
creative design agency.
d
Arc Worldwide, Inc., based in Chicago, USA, is a creative advertising agency.
e
BBDO is an advertising agency founded in 1891 in New York, US. BBDO is present in 81 countries
across the world.

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

BRAND DUNKIN DONUTS

Dunkin was established in 1948 by William Rosenbury (Rosenbury) in Quincy, Massachusetts,

USA, with the name ‘Open Kettle’. 6 The restaurant sold donuts and premium coffee in its initial
days. A brainstorming session in 1950 with Rosenbury and his executives led to the renaming of
the restaurant as ‘Dunkin Donuts’.7 The name ‘Dunkin Donuts’ was arrived at after Rosenbury
noticed the customers dunkingf their donuts in their coffee and consuming them. In 1955, Dunkin
ventured into expansion of its stores by adopting the franchisee concept. The first franchisee

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opened at Dedham, Massachusetts, with 52 varieties of donuts.8
In 1963, Dunkin reached the milestone of 100 stores. By 1979, it had 1,000 locations; in 1990,
2,000 locations, and in 1992, 3,000 locations.9 Dunkin introduced its ‘Munchkin donut hole’ treats
in 1972, which sported the much acclaimed and familiar hole in the donut shape.

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In fact, it was claimed that the word ‘donut’ was popularized over ‘doughnut’ by Dunkin Donuts
in the 1950s and Merriam-Webster introduced ‘Donut’ in its dictionary with the same spelling.10 In
the late 1970s, Dunkin started television advertisements on national channels in the US, which
were a success and contributed to an increase in sales of 15% per annum in a single year. In 1982,
the chain tasted success with “Time to make the doughnuts” advertisement, which became

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popular. Michael Vale played the character of ‘Fred the baker’ and was the lasting and lovable
brand endorser of Dunkin till 1997 for a period of 15 years.11

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The Dunkin Donuts University was founded in 1996 to train the franchisee owners and managers
on how to run their stores.12 In 2006, Dunkin started a marketing campaign “America runs on
Dunkin”. The move was to make customers familiar with the shorter brand name and the company
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succeeded in its attempts to project the name ‘Dunkin’.
Ever since its inception, Dunkin had changed its logo and appearance in tune with the times, but the
dropping of the name ‘Donuts’ from the logo was done for the first time in January 2019 (Refer to
Exhibit I for Changes in the Logo and Brand Design of Dunkin Donuts over the years). As of
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December 2019, Dunkin Donuts had over 20,900 points of distribution in 60 countries around the
globe.13 Dunkin Donuts was the leading restaurant chain in the production of donuts in the world
with sales of 2.9 billion donuts and Munchkins donut hole treats per annum.14 Entrepreneur
Magazine had ranked Dunkin at number three position for the 2018 franchisee 500 list.15

THE NEED FOR REBRANDING

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Dunkin’s rebranding was part of the company’s strategy of focusing more on beverages and
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adding a wider range of drinks to its menu. The company had another symbolic reason for the
name change, which was to keep the brand name simple, in tune with the organization’s increased
focus on simplifying the business further. Hoffman said, “This isn’t a change for the sake of
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change. For two years, we have been focused on evolving Dunkin’ into the premier, beverage led,
on-the go-brand and have been implementing what we call our blueprint for growth.”16 The two
blueprints for growth were simplicity and focus on beverages.
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About 60% of the company’s revenues came from the beverages business as more and more
Americans turned away from doughnuts because of the sugar content. With the prevailing trend of
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a healthy lifestyle and Americans moving away from sugar-based items, analyst Jeremy Scott at
Mizuhog opined that the company had made the right decision to focus more on beverages. The
profit margins of beverages were also more than that of doughnuts and led Dunkin to push for

f
Dunking is the process of dipping a biscuit in coffee or tea and consuming it.
g
Mizuho is the third largest financial services group in Japan. The group provides services in banking,
securities, trust, asset management, and research and consulting.

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

higher beverages sales. Tony Weisman (Weisman), Chief Marketing Officer, Dunkin Donuts, said,
“In recent years as Americans and indeed the world’s appetite for coffee and coffee-type
beverages have grown, we’ve put more focus on being a beverage-led business.”17
Another reason for the rebranding was Dunkin’s push to claim a majority share of the global US$
100 billion coffee beverages industry. Though there were numerous players in the coffee
beverages industry, the main players at the top were Starbucks and Dunkin. With a market share of
34 percent against Dunkin’s 24 percent, Starbucks was the dominant player. The store locations of
Starbucks were also double that of Dunkin, both in the US and in international locations. 18

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THE MAIN ELEMENTS OF THE REBRANDING

Apart from the name change, Dunkin had embarked on a drive to redesign its stores, introduced a

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mobile order drive-through lane, placed baked foods within the reach of customers instead of their
being placed behind the counters, and launched new drinks such as cold nitro brew coffee at the
Dunkin tap bar (Refer to Exhibit II for the Image of Dunkin Tap Bar). The rebranding was done as
the company aimed to be on a “first name basis” with the customer. The single name of ‘Dunkin’
was chosen for the brand to be flexible while expanding in new international locations.

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Brand design agency JKR along with Arc Worldwide and BBDO New York worked together for
the brand relaunch. The three agencies worked with the Dunkin team to redesign the logo and

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create a new visual identity, store design, social media content, and the company’s website.
The new branding of Dunkin was based on the company’s focus on becoming a beverages first
organization that served coffee fast and was consistent with the company’s mission statement
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which stated “Make and serve the freshest, most delicious coffee and donuts quickly and
courteously in modern, well-merchandised stores”. The new logo retained the pink and orange
colors along with the iconic font used by the company in 1973. Weisman said, “Our new name is
simpler, shorter and more modern, while still embracing our rich heritage by retaining the
familiar pink and orange colors and iconic font that were introduced in 1973. It also speaks to the
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breadth of our product offerings.”19 (Refer to Exhibit I1I for the Images of New Logo and Store
Design of Dunkin Donuts).
As part of the marketing communication, the new branding of Dunkin was prominently displayed
on the packaging, social media, advertising, and the company website. The new logo was also
displayed on the exterior and interior signage at all the store locations. Sara Hyman (Hyman), CEO
of North America, JKR, said, “Dunkin has made a bold step towards transforming the brand to
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meet the needs of today’s on-the-go customer… The redesign ushers in this contemporary,
innovative era while retaining the nostalgia of an iconic American brand, with an affectionate
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familiarity that will resonate with customers across the US.”20

To support the rebranding initiatives, JKR launched a social media campaign which focused on
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customers getting on a first name basis with America. The campaign included a sweepstakes that
gave customers a chance to win friendship bracelets. Weisman said, “JKR’s strategic and design
work has been outstanding as they brought this concept to life. Their work across channels,
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including the way they have imagined our packaging as a creative canvas, perfectly captures our
vision for the next phase of the Dunkin brand.”21
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TESTING THE REBRANDING INITIATIVE

The testing of the name change began in late 2017 at a store in Quincy, and a few other stores. The
positive results of the testing led to the rebranding strategy being implemented at all the locations,
even though there was a backlash from some hardcore customers to the name change. Weisman
said, “We tested this extensively with customers in some of our core markets where we’ve been
around for a very long time, as well as some of our newer markets, and the reaction was

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

overwhelmingly positive. And consumers felt that it felt like the brand they knew and loved. In
addition, anecdotally, we have had this branding on some of our newer next-generation stores and
consumers will come in and tell the crew or franchisee that it looks just right.”22
The process of simplicity had already started at Dunkin when the organization cut down on its
menu by ten percent in the first quarter of 2018. Though Dunkin was highlighting its expanded
menu offerings other than donuts and reducing the menu by ten percent, the main focus was on the
efficiency and simplicity of the menu. Weisman said, “The simplicity of our new brand creates
energy… Dunkin is a shorter, simpler, more modern version of who we have always been.”23

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In April 2018, Dunkin launched the Dunkin Go2s, a national value menu. The customers could
purchase two breakfast sandwiches from three of the popular sandwiches priced at US $2, US $3,
and US $5. Weisman said, “Dunkin Donuts is committed to offering our guests quality products at
compelling prices, and we are excited to introduce a new national value menu. Dunkin Go2s is

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focused on delivering more choices and great value for our most popular go-to breakfast
sandwiches.”24 The results of the campaign highlighted the fact that 75 percent of the breakfast
sandwich orders contained a beverage with an average order size of US$ 8 to US$ 9.25

INVESTMENTS FOR THE REBRANDING

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Dunkin invested US$100 million in its stores to modernize, rebrand, and open 50 next generation
outlets in the US by the end of 2018. The increased interest of the franchisee owners in the new

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store format resulted in Dunkin exceeding the target of 50 test outlets and opening 60 outlets by
the end of the third quarter of 2018.26 The exercise focused more on providing customized care for
its customers. With more customers placing orders via the mobile app, there was a dedicated
pickup area, drive through windows, and digital kiosks in the next generation outlets.
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More than 50 percent of the investment was for the purchase of store equipment to modernize and
supplement the on-the-go beverage strategy. The store equipment comprised espresso machines,
cold-drink taps, and label printers for the cups. The remaining investments were for the upgrading
of technology and training. Katherine Jaspon (Jaspon), CFO, Dunkin, said, “We believe this is a
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unique chapter in our brand’s history. Which is why we are contributing significant capital
alongside our franchisees for the first time.”27 Jaspon opined that the changes in the store design
were part of the strategy to counter the competition from rivals such as McDonald’s h and
Starbucksi that had increased their digital ordering options.

MAJOR ROLE OF FRANCHISES IN THE REBRANDING

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Hoffman opined that the success of the new store format was the result of continuous collaboration
with the franchises. Scott Murphy (Murphy), COO at Dunkin, said the organization was constantly
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interacting and working with a group of franchisees for feedback on the current initiatives and also
collaborating with them on new initiatives. Murphy said, “We are very inclusive with our
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franchisees when working through this process. So when we started this about a year and a half
ago, to come up with the Next Gen image, we didn’t do it in vacuum. We did it with them, and
that’s an important piece of how we do everything, whether it’s re-launching espresso, launching a
new (limited-time offer) or putting together a value platform.”28
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h
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McDonald’s is a fast food restaurant chain based in the US. It was founded in the year 1955 by Ray Kroc.
The Restaurant serves burgers, beverages, soft drinks, wraps, and desserts. The annual revenue for
McDonald’s for the year 2019 was US$ 21.07 billion with an annual gross profit of US$ 11.11 billion. As
of 2019, McDonalds had 38,695 restaurants worldwide.
i
Starbucks is a fast food restaurant chain based in the US. The main products of Starbucks are coffee and
tea, handcrafted beverages, fresh food such as baked pastries, sandwiches, and salads. The annual
revenue of Starbucks for the year 2019 was US$ 26.51 billion with annual profit of US$ 17.98 billion. As
of 2019, Starbucks had 31,256 stores worldwide.

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

As part of the strategy to attract on-the-go customers and to cater to the mobile savvy new
generation, Dunkin began promoting the use of voice-based shopping. Dunkin’s customers of
its ‘Dunkin Donuts perks rewards’ program could order drinks and food by using Amazon-
Alexa j devices.

REACTIONS TO THE REBRANDING

Dunkin’s rebranding exercise received mixed reactions from analysts, branding experts, and

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customers. Some branding experts were of the view that name changing or rebranding was
routinely done by organizations and was a common practice. Rebranding was usually undertaken
when the company realized that its ability to foray into other sectors was restricted due to the
current brand name. When an organization undertook rebranding, it meant that it was moving in a
new direction, they said.29 David Gaglione, Founding Partner at PS212k, said, “Like many brands,

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Dunkin Donuts has evolved. For a long time now, Dunkin has offered much more than just donuts,
so logically, the name change makes sense. But what the name Dunkin Donuts has that Dunkin
alone doesn’t is a whimsical nature, a playfulness. That fun and friendliness is core to their brand
supported, in part, by the Dunkin Donuts name.”30
Branding expert Allen Adamson (Adamson) at Metaforcel opined that dropping the name ‘donuts’

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from Dunkin Donuts was necessary when the main focus of the organization was on projecting an
image of healthy food items. Donuts were increasingly being perceived as unhealthy and the

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shorter name ‘Dunkin’ gave the company flexibility to change the menu items as per the prevailing
trends. Adamson said, “Maybe decoupling Dunkin from Donuts because doughnuts are not the
number one item on your eat healthy list, but it gives them some flexibility to broaden their
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business and change the menu a little bit. Of course, today, most people don’t go for doughnuts
anyway. They go for a coffee.”31
However, some brand experts opined that customers had a strong emotional attachment to brands
with traditional names, which had been present in the market for a long time. There were chances
of damage being done by a name change to the brand image of such long-term brands. While it
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was important to reinvent and refresh a brand, this was not without its risks as often there was
“nostalgia wrapped up in these brands.”m
Laura Ries (Ries), Marketing Consultant, Atlanta, expressed the view that changing the name of
iconic brands such as Dunkin Donuts was a mistake. There were some words which were easier
for customers to remember and relate to emotionally like ‘donuts’. It was easier for overseas
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customers to relate to Dunkin Donuts rather than Dunkin, as these customers often knew what
donuts were but might not know the meaning of Dunkin. Ries said, “There’s nothing wrong with
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still having ‘Donuts’ in your name. Long term it was helping them, giving them a brand identity
that was the opposite of Starbucks.”32
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Mark Godward (Godward), Productivity Consultant, Restaurant Industry, opined that restaurant
chains were focused on modernization in areas such as brand image, food production, food
delivery, guest ordering, guest interaction, and the environment. It was the customer perception
and expectations of the brand which were important and these were constantly changing. Brands
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j
Amazon –Alexa are voice enabled devices also known as virtual assistants which can be used to order
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food, browse the internet for information, listen to music, and get the latest news. They can also be used
for home automation.
k
PS212 is a brand consulting firm based in New York, US.
l
Metaforce is a marketing and branding firm based in the US. The firm provides solutions in the areas of
marketing, branding, and digital transformations.
m
Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania was established in 1881. Wharton School is based in
Philadelphia, US.

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

which did not utilize mobile technology, off premises, and online opportunities were at a
competitive disadvantage. Godward said, “The definition of what makes a new investment in a
facility profitable and acceptable to a guest is changing. It’s not just the building. It’s the different
ways the guest tries to use you. The brands that do not exploit their online, mobile and off-
premises opportunities appropriately will be at a significant competitive disadvantage. This trend
is irreversible.”33
Some of the customers were not in favor of the rebranding, they opined that organizations should
remain the same and not change, though change was sometimes for the better and could be

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refreshing. Alanna Okun, Deputy Editor, The Goodsn, Massachusetts, US, said, “My knee-jerk
response to the Dunkies news was: I hate it, I fear change, all institutions I once loved and
currently tolerate should stay the same forever and always, amen, Go sox. But now I have kind of
mellowed out? To be sure, I still think it’s an irritating and semi-desperate-looking ploy, but

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maybe it’s good for us to get a fresh coat of paint every now and then.”34
There were also die-hard fans of Dunkin who were not affected by the name change and opined
that it was the same as Apple dropping the name ‘computers’ from Apple Computers. Many felt
that the name change was great and the logo retained the spirit of the brand. Jeremy Stanley, a
customer from Boston, US, said, “I’m a longtime follower of the Dunkin’ brand and this change is

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great, I have called it Dunkin’ or Dunks for as long as I remember. The new logo retains the spirit
of the brand. It’s like Apple dropping ‘computers’ from its name. This is the same thing.”35

LOOKING AHEAD
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Dunkin posted revenues of US$ 1,321 million in 2018 and US$ 1,370 million in 2019. With the
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increase in revenues, the Earnings per Share (EPS) had increased from US$ 2.71 in 2018 to US$
2.89 in 2019 (Refer to Exhibit IV for the Financial Statement of Dunkin from 2015 to 2019).
Dunkin’s future plans comprised opening 1,000 new restaurants by the end of 2020. To gauge the
impact of the redesign and the rebranding, Dunkin was evaluating the digital ordering data, drive
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through data, and the average weekly sales data. The results were to be used to further decide on
the next generation stores to be launched across the US and subsequently at locations around the
world. Jaspon said, “Ultimately, our guests and our franchisees are our guides in whatever we do,
so we will be looking for their feedback over the years as we finalize our next-gen store before we
roll out to all our locations.”36
With the rebranding exercise Dunkin expected to modernize the customer experience by moving
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away from the old fashioned donuts experience toward a beverage based experience in tune with
the health conscious millennial generation. Hoffman said, “Our new branding is one of the many
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things we are doing as part of our blueprint for growth to modernize the Dunkin’ experience for
our customers.”37
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The question being asked was: Would the rebranding exercise find acceptance among the
customers of Dunkin? Would it help the brand to compete successfully against its competitors?
What other measure should Hoffman and the marketing team at Dunkin undertake along with the
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rebranding?
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n
‘The Goods’ is a new section on Vox Media’s news brand , ‘Vox’. ‘The Goods’ focuses on consumerism
and provides audiences with information required to be savvy consumers. The information provided
pertains to trends in tech, retail, design, food, drink, travel, wellness, and fashion.

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

Exhibit I:
Changes in the Logo and Brand Design of Dunkin Donuts over the Years
Year Brand Changes Year Brand Changes

1950 1997

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1956 2006

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1960 2019

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1970
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Source:https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2018/09/210885/dunkin-donuts-rebranding-name-change.

Exhibit II:
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Image of Dunkin Tap Bar

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Source: www.redstreakgirl.com/coffee-cold-brew-nitro-oh-my-did-dunkin-donuts-change-their-name

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

Exhibit III:
Images of New Logo and Store Design of Dunkin Donuts

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PO
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O
PY
Source: https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a23459242/dunkin-donuts-name-change/, https://www.
businessinsider.in/retail/dunkin-donuts-is-officially-dropping-the-donuts-from-its-name-despite-earlier-backlash/
articleshow/65954700.cms,https://www.redstreakgirl.com/coffee-cold-brew-nitro-oh-my-did-dunkin-donuts-
change-their-name/
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Exhibit IV:
Financial Statement of Dunkin from 2015 to 2019 (In million US$)
Year 2019 2018 2017 2016 2015
Revenue 1,370.00 1,321.00 1,275.00 1,248.00 810.00
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Gross profit 1,215.00 1,186.00 1,138.00 1,099.00 649.00

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Operating Income 451.00 411.00 391.00 380.00 319.00

Net Income 242.00 229.00 271.00 175.00 105.00
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EPS (Earnings per Share) 2.89 2.71 2.94 1.89 1.08

Source: www.macrotrends.net/stocks/charts/DNKN/dunkin-brands/financial-statements
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End Notes:

1
Allen Adamson, “Between Dunkin and WW, Only One of the Name Changes Will Likely Succeed,”
www.forbes.com, September 26, 2018.
2
Janine Puhak, “Dunkin Donuts Name Change Met With Frustration, Apathy on Twitter,”
www.mixedtimes.com, September 27, 2018.
3
Jonathan Roeder, “Dunkin Donuts Rebrands as Dunkin,”www.bloomberg.com, September 26, 2018.

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4
Eliza Brooke, “Companies are Rebranding with Intentionally Vague Names. Dunkin’ Donuts is the
Latest,” www.vox.com, September 26, 2018.
5
Farzanah Farveen, “Dunkin’ Drops ‘Donuts’ from its Name in Rebrand,” www.marketing-
interactive.com,September 29, 2018.
6

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Don Doszkowski, “The History of Dunkin Donuts Franchising,” www.thebalancesmb.com, September
24, 2018.
7
Ibid.
8
Tara Otegui, “13 Things You Didn’t Know About Dunkin Donuts,” www.theodysseyonline.com, January
23, 2018.
9
Dan Myers, “Dunkin Donuts: Where did it Start?” www.thedailymeal.com, May 6, 2016.

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10
Kate Tyalor, “Dunkin' Donuts is Dropping the ‘Donuts’ from its Name, Despite the Fact it Helped Invent
the Word ‘Donut’,” www.businessinsider.in, September 25, 2018.
11

12

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“Time to Make the Doughnuts’ ad is Over,” www.cbsnews.com, June 18, 2013.
Tara Otegui, “13 Things You Didn’t Know About Dunkin Donuts,” www.theodysseyonline.com, January
23, 2018.
PY
13
“Is Dunkin’ Donuts’ US Segment 40%, 50%, or 60% of Dunkin’ Brands Total Revenue?”
www.forbes.com, December 13, 2019.
14
“Dunkin’ Donuts rebranded as Dunkin; Change to Come into Effect in 2019,” www.fnbnews.com,
October 1, 2018.
15
Matthew McCreary, “The 3 Most Consistent Businesses From the Franchisee 500 List ,”
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www.entrepreneur.com, May 29, 2018.

16
Kate Taylor, “Dunkin Donuts CEO Reveals the two reasons behind the Chain’s Decision to Slash the
Donuts from its Name,” www.businessinsider.in, September 27, 2018.
17
Ibid.
18
“Dunkin Donuts: Successful Rebranding in an Evolving Industry,” https://propane.agency, July 2, 2019.
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19
Emma Wiltshire, “Dunkin’: A Rebranding for the Digital Age,” www.socialmediatoday.com, October 18,
2018.
20
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“Dunkin’ Donuts Unveils New Identity Designed by Jones Knowles Ritchie,” www.marcommnews.com,
September 26, 2018.
21
Ibid.
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22
Danny Klein, “Say Goodbye to Dunkin Donuts: It’s Just Dunkin Now,” www.qsrmagzine.com,
September, 2018.
23
Kate Taylor, “Dunkin Donuts CEO Reveals the two reasons behind the Chain’s Decision to Slash the
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Donuts from its Name,” www.businessinsider.in, September 27, 2018.

24
“Dunkin Donuts Doubles Down on Value with Launch of New Dunkin Go2s,” www.prnewswire.com,
April 2, 2018.
D

25
“Strong Growth in Dunkin US Drives Earnings Beat for Dunkin Brands,” www.forbes.com, October
29, 2018.
26
Sarah Witten and Kate Rogers, “Dunkin CEO Says it’s Modernizing Stores Faster than Expected,”
www.cnbc.com, October 25, 2018.
27
Ezequiel Minaya, “Dunkin’ Donuts Invests $ 100 Million in Brand Refresh,” www.wsj.com, August
31, 2018.

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 Dunkin Donuts to Dunkin’: A Rebranding Exercise

28
Sarah Witten and Kate Rogers, “Dunkin CEO Says it’s Modernizing Stores Faster than Expected,”
www.cnbc.com, October 25, 2018.
29
Diana Lopes, “Dunkin Donuts Drops “Donuts” From its Name,” www.datahand.com, September 26, 2018.
30
Danny Klein, “Say Goodbye to Dunkin Donuts: It’s Just Dunkin Now,” www.qsrmagazine.com,
September 2018.
31
“Why so Many Brands are Rebranding,” www.capradio.org, September 26, 2018.
32
Dee Ann Durbin, “Just Dunkin: Dunkin Donuts to Change its Name,” www.kcrg.com, September 27, 2018.

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Ezequiel Minaya, “Dunkin Donuts Invests $100 Million in Brand Refresh,” www.wsj.com, August 31, 2018.
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Eliza Brooke, “Companies are Rebranding with Intentionally Vague Names. Dunkin’ Donuts is the
Latest,” www.vox.ocom, September 26, 2018.
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Luke O’Neil, “'It’ll Always be Dunks to me': New England Reacts to Dunkin' Dropping the Donuts,”

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www.theguardian.com, September 25, 2018.
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Ezequiel Minaya, “Dunkin Donuts Invests $100 Million in Brand Refresh,” www.wsj.com, August 31, 2018.
37
Sammy Nickalls, “Dunkin’ Drops the ‘Donuts’ as the Latest Brand to Shorten its Name,”
www.adweek.com, September 25, 2018.

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