In the United States, Dunkin' Donuts has for decades been a household name for coffee, donuts, muffins, and all things "early morning." When the company expanded to Italy under the auspices of Sweet & Co., they were, naturally, new to the neighborhood. The challenge before them was to increase brand awareness and foot traffic to its eight new outlets in Rome.
Dunkin' Donuts chose a mobile marketing solution to expand their traditional marketing mix and enable them to reach into consumers' pockets—to their mobile phones.
Together with Sybase 365 and Adreact, Dunkin' Donuts launched a mobile campaign that involved four billboards, radio ads that played regularly for two weeks, 1,500 promotional leaflets dropped among students, and advertising posters displayed in all eight stores.
Donut lovers were invited to enter an SMS prize drawing, receiving in return a money-off or free coffee voucher, which was sent back to the consumer's handset for redemption in one of the Dunkin' Donuts stores in Rome. Further interaction was encouraged, with options for additional texting opportunities to obtain store addresses, statistics regarding Dunkin' Donuts, or to inquire about employment opportunities.
In addition, any customer who redeemed the SMS coupon in any of the Rome stores and purchased a donut was automatically entered into a drawing to win a free Piaggio scooter. The results were dramatic, and underscored the efficacy of the marketing program: sales increased by 20% during the campaign, nine out of ten people responding to the offer purchased additional items, and half of the respondents requested additional information. Reaching out to a new customer base with Sybase 365-powered interactive marketing, Dunkin' Donuts was able to say "buon giorno!"
