CORPORATE ADVISORY GROUP
621 HUNTINGTON AVENUE BOSTON, MA 02115
T 617 879 7023
F 617 879 7010
“The work of the MassArt students was insightful, and will be useful to us as we develop the Dunkin’ Donuts brand from a regional
phenomenon to a national player.”
—Meg DiMascio, Associate Brand Manager
Dunkin’ Donuts Brand Marketing Group
DUNKIN’ DONUTS
Case Study
PARTNERS
Dunkin’ Donuts and design students enrolled in the Industrial Design program at Massachusetts
College of Art and Design
OPPORTUNITY
To help design “the Dunkin’Donuts prototype of the future,” and envision the design, layout and
product mix for Dunkin’ Donuts stores on college campuses.
SOLUTION
Canton-based Dunkin’ Donuts has over 1000
stores in New England and is expanding
nationwide. The marketing group, charged
with exploring newer market segments
such as college-age students, turned to
MassArt students to get fresh ideas, and to
be a sounding board for ideas already under
consideration for the college market.
OUTCOME
Students “rethought” the Dunkin’ brand,
unhampered by current perceptions. Their
feedback to Dunkin’ Donuts was candid,
discouraging the marketers from the idea
that there is a uniform college population
with cohesive wants and needs. Instead, they
realized that college students fall into various
categories — the bright-eyed breakfast crowd,
the on-the-run snackers, kids on dates, and
the late night studiers who want fuel for long
nights ahead.
The students’ major focus was on delivering a
unique approach to on-campus Dunkin’ Donuts
settings that would be different from the
typical Dunkin’ Donuts store. For on-campus
locations, the students recommended that
MassArt.edu
Dunkin’ Donuts lengthen their hours during
midterms and finals, add outlets and Wi-fi
for laptop users, and furnish the stores with
modular pieces that could provide flexible
seating for groups or individuals. Students
also said they would be happy to order their
drinks or food from kiosks rather than from
servers, allowing quick and accurate ordering
and they recommended that the company
actively promote the fact that they offer Fair
Trade certified ™ coffee beans in their espresso
drinks to this group.
The students benefited from the opportunity
to help position an established consumer brand
to the student market and honed their public
speaking skills as they presented their ideas to
the Dunkin’ marketing group. Members of the
Brand Marketing Group recognized the value
of their insights, and relayed many of the ideas
to Dunkin’ Donuts Concept Development teams
for further study. Some ideas, such as modular
furniture, were new, and others, such as selfordering kiosks were already in the works.
According to Meg DiMascio, “the students gave
us new ideas or supported existing ideas that
will help us create a better Dunkin’ Donuts
experience for this market segment