Dunkin' Donuts Makes Friends On Facebook

February 26, 2009: Dunkin' Donuts Manager/Interactive & Relationship Marketing David Tryder tells eMarketer that, when marketing budgets were tight at the beginning of the year, he saw Facebook as a "great, cost-effective opportunity."

So Dunkin' Donuts ran a two-day customer forum in January to promote its "DDSmart" menu of healthier menu items, including flatbread sandwiches and multigrain bagels. And, as Tryder says, it paid off, bringing the doughnut maker's list of Facebook friends up to more than 370,000.

Dunkin' Donuts spread the word about the event through Facebook and via its own opt-in "Dunkin' Perks" database. When the forum was held, customers were able to offer feedback and ask questions, and get responses from Dunkin' Donuts head of culinary Stan Frankenthaler and the brand managers responsible for the DDSmart menu.

Tryder tells eMarketer, "Every brand wants to establish as close a relationship to its fans as it can. The question has always been how do you do that cost-effectively, in a meaningful way that doesn’t just look like more advertising? This proved that we could do that."

Read the full interview here.