Hasta La Creative!

Dennis Hahn at ID Branding in Portland, OR thinks Dunkin’ Donuts could have reached deeper into its toolbox than to challenge Starbucks on taste.

…this campaign reeks of the same old tired ad-driven approach. And a taste test no less! Is this the best you could do?

According to Ad Age, the chain has gone after Starbucks before, poking fun at the snob factor associated with the premium chain.

At the dedicated microsite, DunkinBeatStarbucks.com, the chain appears to be taking a page from McDonald’s, which trumpeted the Seattle launch of its McCafe coffee business with UnsnobbyCoffee.com. At that site, consumers could stage an “intervention” for friends who were spending too much on their coffee. At the Dunkin site, consumers can “spread the truth” by sending e-cards with messages like, “Friends don’t let friends drink Starbucks.”

I don’t mind the taste test like Hahn does. There’s nothing wrong with a proven method, as long as you bring some fresh thinking to it. If Dunkin’ and their agency, Hill | Holiday, are to be faulted, it’s on execution, not strategy.