‘Conspiracy theories welcome,’ say Dunkin’ fans after spotting different logos years after rebranding
CONSUMERS are speculating whether Dunkin' has changed its marketing identity again.
Dunkin' underwent a massive brand change in 2018, but customers recently noticed smaller differences in the company's logo.
A Dunkin' fan shared a question on X (formerly Twitter) about changes made to the company logo.
"Has Dunkin’s logo been thinning," the user asked.
"Decided to investigate but, sadly, neither Jones Knowles Ritchie (who did the 2018 redesign) nor the press team at Dunkin’ replied. So, conspiracy theories are welcome."
The tweet garnered a lot of attention on social media, receiving over 400 likes, and leaving many Dunkin' fans questioning the brand's changing identity.
Read More on Dunkin'
"The new branding conveys the company’s focus on serving great coffee fast, while embracing Dunkin’s heritage by retaining its familiar pink and orange colors and iconic font, introduced in 1973," the company said in a press statement.
But Dunkin' lovers say they miss what the logo used to look like.
"Massive downgrade why did they do this," tweeted one social media user.
"Def the decaf version," tweeted another.
Most read in Money
"Have to say I prefer it thicker," said a third.
Although the company hasn't confirmed that its logo has gotten thinner, customers say the change is obvious.
"Dunkin’ really thought they could just change their logo from Bold to Semibold and no one would notice," one social media user tweeted.
The U.S. Sun reached out to Dunkin' for comment.
NAME GAME
Dunkin's President David Hoffmann said he's looking to "modernize" the donut and coffee experience.
In 2018, the brand dropped the word "Donuts" from its name — now it's recognized only as "Dunkin'."
"It’s official: We’re going by Dunkin’ now," they tweeted after the big announcement.
"After 68 years of America running on Dunkin’, we're moving to a first-name basis. Excited to be #BFFstatus with you all."
This received a positive reaction from the community who understood Dunkin's efforts to rebrand as an "on-the-go" coffee company.
Brief History of Dunkin'
- 1948: Bill Rosenberg opened Open Kettle, a restaurant selling donuts and coffee in Quincy, Massachusetts
- 1950: Rosenberg changed the name to Dunkin' Donuts after discussing with company executives
- 1968: The chain went public
- 1990: Dunkin' was acquired by Baskin-Robbins
- 1998: The brand had grown to 2,500 locations worldwide with $2 billion in annual sales
- 2005: Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins were sold to a private equity consortium of Bain Capital, Carlyle Group, and Thomas H. Lee Partners for $2.4 billion
- 2013: Dunkin' unveiled a new store design (the first in almost seven years)
- 2018: Dunkin' revealed new concepts featuring modern decor, cold beverages on tap and a single-cup brewing machine, more packaged take-out options, and dedicated pick-up lines for mobile ordering inside and in the drive-thru
- 2018-2019: The company began to trial signage referring to the chain as simply "Dunkin'" and removing "Donuts" from the name
- 2019: Dunkin' partnered with Grubhub to begin the rollout of its new Dunkin' Delivers service
- 2019: Dunkin' partnered with Beyond Meat to introduce a meatless breakfast sandwich, becoming the first U.S. restaurant brand to serve Beyond Sausage
It also allowed the company to keep its slogan: “America runs on Dunkin’.”
In recent years, the company changed its menu and ordering experience to better suit the needs of its customers.
In addition to adding new items and revamping old favorites, Dunkin' also invested in its carry-out and in-app purchases.
Many fast-casual companies like Dunkin' noticed that people prefer a more hands-off experience.
Read More on The US Sun
Taco Bell is following in its footsteps, introducing bigger drive-thrus and phasing out sit-down dining.
Other chains like Cracker Barrel have failed to keep up with the market and are shuttering their doors.
