Dunkin’ Donuts launched their take on Dominique Ansel’s infamous Cronut yesterday, and we’re already gearing up for a flop. The coffee chain is attempting to capture that same “gotta have it” exclusivity that Ansel so famously achieved with the daily long lines of Summer 2013. A year and a half later, Dunkin’ is aiming for limited-edition success by capitalizing on a tired trend.
Dunkin’s attempt not only borders on culinary plagiarism, the lack of branding makes it seem half-hearted. “Croissant donut” doesn’t quite roll off the tongue, even though it paints a visual of what you’re going to be eating. (S3 local favorite Ava’s Cupcakes successfully branded their own take on the Cronut: their Dossanuts were a huge hit when they launched only a month after Ansel’s bakery hit the big time!) Saturday Night Live took Dunkin’s lack of branding into their own hands this past weekend, dubbing it a “Dobage” (Donut + Garbage).
Cronuts drummed up a cult following thanks to Ansel’s culinary craftsmanship and their true exclusivity at his Soho bakery. It’s hard to picture the same sort of clamoring for a nationally-available, mass-produced baked good. It’s also difficult to imagine the money spent on product development and advertising will spell out an increased share of the breakfast crowd for Dunkin’. With a “limited quantity” available only once a day, Dunkin’ is clearly trying to lure in consumers with hopes of scoring one of these exclusive pastries and praying potential customers settle for a plain old donut if the goods are gone.
While their new creation has garnered a fair deal of press attention, the reviews to date are quite unimpressed. The croissant donut is being called a slightly flakier, much more expensive version of a standby glazed donut. Without a standout taste, Dunkin’ won’t have the pull it needs to get customer demand.
Unfortunately, the generically named (and generic tasting) croissant donut doesn’t look like it will be the slam dunkin’ the brand was hoping for. Perhaps it’s “time to make the donuts” – not try to rip off the cronuts, DD.
~ Christine Perez, Account Executive, The S3 Agency
