The

DONUT
DUEL
A Social Media Marketing Analysis
Mary McPartlan
October 19, 2016

Dunkin' Donuts Krispy Kreme

Canton, MA 02021 Winston-Salem, NC 27102
1-800-859-5339 1-800-457-4779
customerservice@dunkinbrands.com KKGuest@krispykreme.com
https://www.dunkindonuts.com/ https://www.krispykreme.com/
 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Dunkin' Donuts v. Krispy Kreme

Market Overview 3

Brand Introduction 4

Social Mention 5

Facebook

Dunkin' Donuts 8

Krispy Kreme 10

Twitter

Dunkin' Donuts 13

Krispy Kreme 15

Instagram

Dunkin' Donuts 18

Krispy Kreme 20

YouTube

Dunkin' Donuts 23

Krispy Kreme 25

Mobile App

Dunkin' Donuts 28

Krispy Kreme 29

Final Vote 31

References 32

2
 MARKET OVERVIEW
Doughnut Store Industry

Whether you spell it doughnut or donut, a doughnut is a donut. For the sake of consistency

- and to remove any bias towards Dunkin' Donuts - I will be referring to all fried rings of

delicious dough as doughnuts. According to the latest IBIS World Report, Dunkin' Brands

and Krispy Kreme dominate the doughnut store industry, at 61.1% and 4.9% of market

share, respectively (Alvarez, 2016). As seen from the figure below, this multi-billion

dollar industry houses over 7,000 businesses, indicating the importance of maintaining a

competitive advantage over other businesses in the industry (Alvarez, 2016). Despite the

industry title of ‘doughnut stores’, over 50% of sales at doughnut stores come from

products other than doughnuts (Alvarez, 2016). This means that these companies are

constantly expanding and adapting to consumer behavior by introducing new products and

offerings. In order to maintain their success, these brands must reach their target market

through various channels, especially social media. Throughout this paper, I will walk

through the various social media platforms that Dunkin' Donuts and Krispy Kreme utilize

and evaluate their overall effectiveness on each platform.

3
 BRAND INTRODUCTION
Dunkin' Donuts v. Krispy Kreme

Originating in Quincy, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts expanded from a single doughnut shop to a

multi-million dollar company providing 11,300 restaurants worldwide ("Company Snapshot," 2016).

Dunkin' Donuts is referred to as more than just a doughnut shop, as majority of sales come from

beverages, while doughnuts account for only 15-20% of store sales (Alvarez, 2016). Dunkin' Donuts

has become one of the largest coffees and baked goods chains in the world. However, Dunkin'

Donuts is actually a subsidiary of Dunkin’ Brands, Inc, a leading franchisor of quick service

restaurants, whose business model includes both Dunkin' Donuts restaurants and Baskin Robbins

restaurants ("About Us," 2014).

Krispy Kreme has a bit more of an interesting origin story, as it was not originally intended to be a

business to consumer doughnut shop. In 1937, Vernon Rudolph bought a secret yeast-raised

doughnut recipe from a New Orleans French chef ("Our Story," 2016). He then rented a building in

Winston-Salem, NC to sell Krispy Kreme doughnuts to local grocery stores, but the overpowering

scent of doughnut production led people to stop and ask if they could buy fresh, hot doughnuts

("Our Story," 2016). Rudolph cut a hole in the wall of his building and sold hot doughnuts directly

to people on the sidewalk ("Our Story," 2016). Since then, Krispy Kreme has become the leading

branded retailer and wholesaler of doughnuts and packaged sweets (Alvarez, 2016). For Krispy

Kreme, doughnuts account for 88% of sales, while beverages account for just over 10%, a near

opposite revenue structure from Dunkin' Donuts (Alvarez, 2016).

4
 SOCIAL MENTION
Dunkin' Donuts v. Krispy Kreme

Before diving into a breakdown of individual social platforms, it’s important to gain an overall

understanding of the sentiment that consumers have about the brands. To do this, I used Social

Mention to analyze the strength, sentiment, passion, and reach of user-generated content around the

brands. Strength is a simple measurement indicating the likelihood that the brand is being mentioned

in social media, while sentiment is the ratio of generally positive mentions to generally negative

mentions. Passion measures the likelihood that people will talk about the brand repeatedly, which

provides insight into the loyalty that consumers have towards the brand. Finally, reach measures the

overall range of influence the brand has, providing information on the number of unique individuals

who are talking about the brand. The following metrics included are based on the

average Social Mention scores over the course of 5 weeks.

strength sentiment passion reach

5
 Dunkin' Donuts has strong, consistent metrics across the board.

Not only are people talking about the brand positively, but they are

also doing so frequently. On average, Dunkin' Donuts is

mentioned once every minute, which is an astonishing rate. They

64% 6:1
have built their social media presence to foster continuous,

positive customer engagement. At one point, the Dunkin' Donuts

sentiment ratio was 16:0, indicating there were zero negative

remarks about the brand at that time. Additionally, a 49% average

passion metric shows that consumers are willing to talk positively

49% 37%
about Dunkin' Donuts more than just once. Generating passion

around a brand is instrumental in cultivating long-term

relationships and loyal followers. Dunkin' Donuts had few metric

variations throughout the 5 week period.

Krispy Kreme heavily promoted “Pirate Day” where if you dress

like a pirate, you will receive 12 free original glazed doughnuts

and if you talk like a pirate, you will receive 1 free original glazed

doughnut. Knowing that this would be a big day for Krispy

43% 3:1
Kreme, I recorded their Social Mention data the day after this

event. The data for this day showed strong social sentiment, at a

5:1 ratio, and 64% strength. These metrics highlight social

performance on one of Krispy Kreme's most successful days.

Krispy Kreme has a higher average reach than Dunkin' Donuts, at

42%, indicating they are reaching a variety of customers on a

regular basis. Krispy Kreme experienced a lot of changes in their

metrics across the 5 week period, as overall strength was recorded

18% 42%
at a low of 2% and passion at an even lower 0%. This is bad news

for Krispy Kreme, as consumers are not always willing to mention

Krispy Kreme positivity. In fact, sometimes they barely mention

Krispy Kreme at all. On average, Krispy Kreme is mentioned

once every 6 hours.

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Despite being in the industry for longer, Krispy Kreme falls short on overall social

mention, allowing Dunkin' Donuts to take the lead on this one. Even on one of

Krispy Kreme’s most successful day, Dunkin' Donuts still had them beat on

passion and nearly matched Krispy Kreme on strength and sentiment. The

sentiment analysis provided by Social Mention indicates that Dunkin' Donuts is

doing a great job in generating positive engagement on their social platforms.

Social media marketing is about developing a two-way conversation and involving

the consumer, something Dunkin' Donuts has demonstrated they are fully capable

of doing.

7
 FACEBOOK
Dunkin' Donuts

It’s clear that Dunkin' Donuts is catering towards

13,967,447 millennials, with their heavy use of video content,

Vine celebrity endorsement, and Snapchat promotions.

followers In fact, of all age groups in the US, millennials are the

most active video viewers (Osbon, n.d.). While

1,957,030
doughnuts may be for all ages, Dunkin' Donuts is

utilizing Facebook to promote content that is relatable

to younger demographics. Dunkin' Donuts

check-ins
occasionally interacts with their customers through

comments, but it does not appear to be a regular

53,348
occurrence. The content posted is quality, branded

content that their graphic team would create, rather

people talking than user-generated content. The images and videos

posted do not resonate as being product pushy. Instead,

the posts tell a story and have an appealing artsy feel to

them. This subtle marketing tactic allows the product

to be a piece of the puzzle, rather than the main focus.

8
9
 FACEBOOK
Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme utilizes Facebook as a way to heavily

promote their product. Majority of posts relate to doughnut

5,313,552 specials, featured doughnuts, and any other product specific

content. This is where you go if you are looking for product

followers
images or information on upcoming promotions. They use

both their own content and user-generated content to fill

their feed with coffee and doughnuts. Krispy Kreme also

1,203,301
check-ins
makes the effort to repost content from location specific

Krispy Kreme pages, asking questions in the captions in

order to evoke a user response. Krispy Kreme is consistent

in their postings, providing content daily and sometimes

49,952
more than once per day. Their Facebook posting content

and frequency indicates that Krispy Kreme has a strategy in

people talking place with the goal of encouraging followers to comment

and share. Krispy Kreme clearly values their relationship

with consumers, as seen through their practice of crediting

user content, tagging users, and quickly responding. Krispy

Kreme typically provides a personalized response to

Facebook comments within 1 day.

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Facebook is all about having a conversation with customers and Krispy Kreme

does a great job of this. They are constantly using reposted content, questions in

captions, and personalized comments to make the customer feel involved. Krispy

Kreme does not just make noise on this platform, they take a step back and listen to

what people have to say, which makes followers feel valued. Despite having

significantly fewer followers than Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme has nearly as

many people talking about the brand and checking in, meaning they are effectively

producing engagement and conversation.

12
 TWITTER
Dunkin' Donuts

While Dunkin' Donuts uses Facebook to focus on the

product, they use Twitter to focus on their customers.

Their account is filled with retweeted content from users

who have tagged Dunkin' Donuts in their personal tweets.

Additionally, Dunkin' Donuts prioritizes consumer

engagement, as demonstrated by the numerous @ replies

1.11 M they take the time to make to specific users. Dunkin'

Donuts utilizes Twitter to its full capacity by providing

followers Twitter polls to its followers as a quick and easy way to

engage. It's important to note that Dunkin' Donuts doesn’t

57.9 K just copy what they post on Facebook. While some of

their content is similar, they also work to provide new

following content to promote on this platform, providing users an

incentive to follow both accounts, as each provides

6,241 original material.

likes

59.4 K
tweets
13
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 TWITTER
Krispy Kreme

While Krispy Kreme uses Facebook to promote user-

generated content, they use Twitter to focus on their own

marketing content. Posts include quality, branded

pictures and promotions. However, they certainly do not

neglect their followers, as they still retweet user content.

Krispy Kreme does not appear to respond directly to as

267 K
many users as Dunkin' Donuts, which may be due to

users not mentioning them in the first place. This would

followers not be surprising given the lower Social Mention scores.

Krispy Kreme was highly active on Twitter for National

14.2 K Coffee Day, September 29, where they hosted a trivia

game throughout the day. The Krispy Kreme Twitter

following account posted coffee related questions and the first

correct answer with #NCDKK won a small prize. This is

33.4 K a great way to encourage engagement and proved

successful, as these tweets had a large number of replies,

likes far more than an average Krispy Kreme tweet.

32.1 K
tweets
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Krispy Kreme takes the win on Twitter, in large part due to their creative

utilization of the platform in engaging customers. Their all day trivia game was an

innovative way of manipulating the platform to provide value to both themselves

and to the customers. Followers were able to play a game and potentially win a

prize, while Krispy Kreme was able to gain engagement and mentions to increase

brand reach. Despite having a lower following than Dunkin' Donuts, Krispy Kreme

engagement remains relatively high. In fact, when comparing Twitter interactions

(retweets/favorites) to number of followers, Krispy Kreme actually had a higher

engagement rate in some cases. Additionally, Krispy Kreme makes the effort to

'like' user content. Dunkin' Donuts has liked just over 6,000 tweets, while Krispy

Kreme has liked over 33,400 tweets. A little goes a long way with consumers and

this touch point contributes heavily to long term engagement. Overall, Krispy

Kreme provides quality content on a frequent basis, giving them the Twitter

advantage.

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INSTAGRAM
Dunkin' Donuts

Dunkin' Donuts has one verified Instagram account with

971 K over 900K followers. Dunkin' Donuts does a great job of

posting pictures that are interesting and have a unique

followers viewpoint, rather than just pushing product. Majority of

posts relate to coffee, which makes sense considering

coffee accounts for the highest percentage of sales

6,801 revenue. Posts typically include a coffee cup with a

unique background, placing the emphasis on the cool

following place the coffee is at. Their posts inspire exploration and

travel, as Dunkin' Donuts coffee cups are seen all around

the world. Dunkin' Donuts reposts content from other

users, but ensures that these posts follow along with their

889 strategy of promoting creative, visually appealing

content. In some cases, you wouldn’t be able to tell the

posts difference between user-generated content and Dunkin'

Donuts original content if they did not give credit to the

user. They have a consistent format for how they credit

content by including the camera emoji followed by the

user handle at the end of each post.

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19
INSTAGRAM
Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme’s Instagram account gets a little

619 K complicated, as there are 2 officially verified accounts.

However, one is linked with the Krispy Kreme website,

followers while the other is the official Krispy Kreme account of

the Middle East. I mention this because while the Middle

East account has fewer followers, the content is much

6,604 more in line with Instagram best practices. Instagram

should be used to capture interesting, distinctive content

following that makes for an engaging image and the official Krispy

Kreme account does not always do that. Their Instagram

account does not appear to have a consistent theme,

messaging, or standards for picture quality. While they do

1,990 repost user-generated content to engage with customers,

this content lacks quality and consistency. There are also

posts variations in how they credit users, as sometimes they

mention them in a comment and other times they use the

repost app. Additionally, they post pictures that seem to

be screenshots of tweets from Twitter, which is not what

Instagram was intended for.

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Dunkin' Donuts sweeps the board on Instagram with their seamless integration of

user-generated content and artistically valuable images. They fully understand what

Instagram should be used for and they put it into practice by maintaining a

consistent Instagram account with a common theme. Krispy Kreme definitely has

some work to do on their Instagram account and to start, they need to develop a

central focus on the types of images they want to post. Not all user-generated

content needs to be shared, even if it means making a connection with a potential

customer. Dunkin' Donuts images are colorful, appealing, and add value to

viewers. They look beyond simply promoting their product and instead provide a

unique viewpoint for their brand. Dunkin' Donuts essentially brings people together

as a community by showcasing products across the nation. From warm beaches to

busy cities, the Dunkin' brand stays the same, uniting people through coffee and

doughnuts. They remain consistent in what they plan to deliver and they follow

through with their content strategy.

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 YOUTUBE
Dunkin' Donuts

30,788
Dunkin' Donuts uses their YouTube channel to create

celebrity music videos related to their products. It was

subscribers certainly surprising to discover my second cousin, Rob

Gronkowski, featured in a variety of 'hit singles'

including “Sippin” and “Turn it Up”. Similar to

Facebook, Dunkin' Donuts appears to be targeting

28,711,600 millennials with their video content, creating catchy

songs and featuring athletes. The homepage is well

views
organized and showcases popular Playlists, including

“Odell Beckham Jr. <3’s Dunkin’” and Gronk and Big

Papi’s “Summer Chill”. Video length ranges anywhere

from short 15-second clips to 3-minute videos. Dunkin'

Donuts posts regularly, which is crucial to gaining

subscribers who are looking for new weekly content.

Dunkin' Donuts creates mini series that build on each

other which encourage viewers to continue to the next

episode and subscribe to the channel for new videos.

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 YOUTUBE
Krispy Kreme

The Krispy Kreme YouTube channel contains a

3,149 variety of videos, but they tell a story. Their current

YouTube campaign is centered on “The Krispy

subscribers
Kreme Effect,” which uses a hidden camera to

uncover the authentic reaction people have when

they see a box of Krispy Kreme doughnuts. Past

1,035,129 campaigns include behind the scenes videos on how

Krispy Kreme doughnuts are made, as well as a

views series called “12 Ways to Eat a Doughnut”. These
types of videos encourage subscriptions, as each

video fits into the next. Viewers become interested in

the first video and are called to check back for more.

However, Krispy Kreme also includes a lot of video

commercials, which don’t fit into any theme or

category. Users do not want to visit a channel just to

watch a commercial, they want engaging content.

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Dunkin' Donuts has a long term, viable programming strategy in place. They are

effectively targeting millennials, who enjoy watching videos, by providing

interesting and relatable content. Celebrity endorsements allow Dunkin' Donuts to

gain credibility with this demographic and increase their brand reach. The

YouTube channel page is well organized and easy to navigate, so viewers have an

enjoyable user experience and are willing to return. Dunkin' Donuts works to

ensure new content is continuously being published in a timely manner.

27
 MOBILE APP
Dunkin' Donuts

471 ratings
Dunkin' Donuts last updated their mobile app in August 2016 in an attempt to increase user

experience, but this update was met with just as many unhappy customers. These negative

reviews add up, leaving Dunkin' Donuts with an overall rating of 1.5 stars. Upon first opening

the app, users are met with a message promoting DD Perks. However, this same message will

pop up every time the app is opened, so unless you decide to enroll, you will constantly need to

dismiss the message. Dunkin' Donuts does a good job in presenting a visually appealing app.

They have a consistent theme and their menu graphics allow users to easily find what they are

looking for. New formatting and design seem to be what Dunkin' Donuts held in the highest

regard when developing this app, rather than what the customer really needed. Many reviews

complain of complicated processes and difficulty using rewards.

28
 MOBILE APP
Krispy Kreme

277 ratings
The Krispy Kreme app is simply designed with the consumer in mind. Upon first

opening the app, users are met with a summary of the number of points

accumulated, amount of money on card, and information on the closest location.

One of the main, unique features of this app is the Hotlight function. Users can

select a Krispy Kreme location and receive alerts on when the "Hot Now" sign is

activated. This app has proved incredibly successful, as it has received a 4.5 star

rating. In their next update, Krispy Kreme should expand their app features to

include the menu. Users want to be able to browse before arriving, so providing a

menu will allow them to easily access this information.

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Krispy Kreme takes the lead on mobile, as their app is easy to use, unique, and well

formatted. Users are not overloaded with information or options when they first

open the app. The Hotlight feature is something that differentiates Krispy Kreme

from other brands and they have done a great job of integrating this aspect of the

brand into their digital media marketing strategy. While visually appealing content

is important, Dunkin' Donuts made the mistake of prioritizing it over the needs and

wants of the consumer. In such a digital-oriented world, mobile experiences can

make or break a brand, as users take those experiences and translate them into

reviews. Krispy Kreme has developed an app that adds value to the consumer and

makes their experience enjoyable.

30
 FINAL VOTE
Krispy Kreme
EST. 2016

Overall Champion
SOCIAL MEDIA

After being named the Certified Champion of Twitter, Facebook, and Mobile App interface, Krispy

Kreme takes home the gold for overall social media utilization. Success should be measured by

quality, not quantity. So while Krispy Kreme may have smaller numbers, they have stronger

consumer relationships. Krispy Kreme is doing a great job at engaging their audience across all digital

marketing channels. Their content is interesting and engaging for users to follow, which allows the

brand to reach new markets. Their social media presence does not simply cater to

current customers or doughnut enthusiasts. Rather, they provide content that is all around

entertaining and visually appealing, so even if you're not a huge fan of doughnuts, you may find

yourself following and subscribing to their platforms. Krispy Kreme holds consumers in the forefront

of their social media strategy, as seen through their user-generated content, Twitter trivia, social

comments, and quick response time across all platforms. When it comes down to it, Krispy Kreme

works hard to develop strong customer relationships that lead to long term success, while Dunkin'

Donuts cares more about their products. Social media is about conversation and Dunkin' Donuts is

interested in hearing themselves talk, while Krispy Kreme is interested in hearing their customers

talk. They have a clear strategy in place to ensure content is being posted consistently, which gives

users a reason to follow or subscribe. Krispy Kreme has done a great job of developing a specific

brand image, allowing them to develop a strong following for continued success.

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 REFERENCES
Dunkin' Donuts v. Krispy Kreme

About Us. (2014). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from http://www.dunkinbrands.com/about

Alvarez, A. (2016, March). Doughnut Stores in the US. Retrieved October 19, 2016, from

http://www.ibisworld.com/industry/doughnut-stores.html

Company Snapshot. (2016). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from

https://www.dunkindonuts.com/content/dunkindonuts/en/company.html

Osbon, J. (n.d.). Social Media Marketing Strategy Audience Development [PowerPoint slides].

Retrieved from https://uga.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/1177058/viewContent/

18167111/View

Our Story. (2016). Retrieved October 19, 2016, from https://www.krispykreme.com/about/Our-

Story

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