It's Great Coffee (statistically speaking)

How many times do companies need to tell us what tastes good, or in this case, 16% better?

TV, radio, print and the Internet have been bombarded recently by the "Dunkin' tastes better than Starbucks" ads. But the fact that Dunkin' took this oft-traveled road has surprised me. People inherently are connected to a brand through emotion, not statistics. This has been proven with many a failed brand-building attempt especially in the cosmetic and household cleaning markets.

So what is different this time? First of all Dunkin' is a very strong brand. A new entrant into the "Morning Cup of Joe" market advertising this way would get little positive results. Secondly, Dunkin' has gone all out. Their website Dunkinbeatstarbucks supports the other media well with anti-Starbucks propaganda and the ability to send an ecard to your friends convincing them to stop drinking Starbucks(I hope my friends have less time on their hands).

So perhaps the campaign isn't as clear cut as showing statistics and trashing the other brand. Dunkin' have intelligently created an emotional connection by 'rallying up the fans' and declaring war on overpriced coffee(a few cents more than Dunkin') , comfortable seats and ambient lighting. With the way the economy is going more people may be turning to the cheaper, less flashy alternative for their morning cup of coffee.