Doughnuts, Coffee are Chain Staples but Changes are on the Way
09/26/2018
Contact: Nancy Cicco, 978-934-4944, Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu or Christine Gillette, 978-934-2209, Christine_Gillette@uml.edu
Dunkin’ Donuts’ announcement this week the restaurant chain will drop “Donuts” from its name in 2019 will help the company grow its product line and expand its reach, according to Spencer Ross, a marketing and branding expert available for interviews on the subject.
“Certainly, New Englanders remember Dunkin’ Donuts’ popular commercials featuring ‘Fred the Baker’ when it was time to make the doughnuts in the back of the shop. But since then, the company’s accelerated growth has given it a substantive global footprint,” Ross said. “Nowadays, their doughnuts come off the back of a big rig that also brings breakfast and lunchtime sandwiches and other items, so it makes sense Dunkin would pivot the brand both domestically and internationally to a broader scale.”
Ross, a marketing professor at UMass Lowell, is an expert on digital marketing, branding and consumer engagement with new technologies. He is the co-director of the Manning School of Business Behavioral Lab at UMass Lowell, which examines human behavior in relation to management, leadership, organizational strategy, economics, entrepreneurship and more.
With more than 12,600 restaurants around the world, the Massachusetts-based chain – which boasts that it is the No. 1 retailer of doughnuts in the country – says it will keep its signature pink and orange colors as it continues to update its menu while offering new innovations. One popular option for consumers is the company’s recent launch of its on-the-go ordering via mobile apps, Ross said.
For more information or to arrange an in-person or telephone interview with him, please contact Nancy Cicco at Nancy_Cicco@uml.edu, 978-934-4944 or Christine Gillette at Christine_Gillette@uml.edu, 978-934-2209.