This document compares the social media presence and strategies of Dunkin' Donuts and Starbucks. It provides background on each company and analyzes their performance across various social media platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Vine and blogs. For Facebook, it finds that Dunkin' Donuts posts more frequently and engages customers better, while Starbucks focuses more on customer service. For Twitter, it determines that Starbucks has significantly more followers and reach, but Dunkin' Donuts posts more varied content. Overall, it concludes that while Starbucks has a larger overall presence, Dunkin' Donuts wins for its positive energy and fun approach on social media that keeps customers engaged.

1. Which Coffee
Giant is Going
to Win This
Social Media
Battle?
Drew Berman
Dunkin’ Donuts vs Starbucks
March 2016

2. Coffeeshop
Battle:
Dunkin’
Donuts
vs
Starbucks
1. Executive Summary
2. Dunkin Donuts Background
3. Starbucks Background
4. Overall Social Presence Comparison
5. Social Media Platform Battle
a. Facebook
b. Twitter
c. Instagram
d. YouTube
e. Vine
f. Blogs
6. The Winner is Chosen

3. Executive
Summary
Coffee is the second most commonly traded commodity in the world. The United States is the world’s largest importer of
coffee. American’s love their coffee, and most would choose to start their day at either Dunkin’ Donuts or Starbucks.
Beginning as small businesses in the U.S., these two industry giants are now popular coffee and pastry destinations
worldwide. With many similarities, they also have many qualities to differentiate themselves against competitors.
If you’re an average American looking for a cheap cup of joe, you’re probably going straight to the drive-thru
window of Dunkin’ Donuts because “America Runs On Dunkin” and has fueled us for the past 66 years. The coffeehouse
and doughnut shop is most popular on the east-coast, as it originated in Massachusetts. Starbucks, opened a bit later in 1971
on the other side of the country in Seattle, Washington, and wasn’t really a big threat to DD at first. Dunkin’ Donuts and
Starbucks co-existed for those 20 years when Dunkin’ was all about the donuts - but the booming coffee market put
Starbucks ahead of the game. So, In 1990, DD retired its famous “Time to Make the Donuts” ad, as they realized focusing
their attention on coffee, like their west-coast rival, was the right strategy. Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks have continued
their coffee battle ever since. Dunkin’ might be the world’s largest coffee and baked goods chain, but Starbucks has been
the most successful coffee chain in the past few decades. This year, an average of 2 million customers visit DD each day in
the U.S. But, Starbucks has them beat in terms of company size, with double the number of storefronts and serve over 8.5
million customers per day. They also are leading in the financial sector as well - In 2014, Starbucks generated $16.4 billion in
revenue, and Dunkin’ Donuts trailed behind at just $749 million.
Although Starbucks might seem like the clear winner here, there are other factors that should be looked at as well.
What really sets these two apart is how they market themselves against each other and other competitors. Dunkin’s
everyday american coffee drinkers tend to be sociable moms, sports fanatics and family travelers. Starbucks is known as the
‘luxury’ coffee brand, selling a stronger, more robust flavored coffee for a premium price. Their storefronts are hip, trendy
and tend to attract drinkers that are college age, early adopters, and music enthusiasts. Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks are
two of the most successful brands on social media. Their marketing online is smart, creative and unique to their individual
brand position and consumer target. In order to determine the winner of this coffee battle, i’ll need to look at each brand’s
ability to reach and engage their customers on social media.

4. Dunkin’ Donuts was founded in 1950 by William Rosenberg in Quincey, Massachusetts. Dunkin’
definitely dominates the East Coast, But, the American global doughnut company and coffeehouse chain
has since grown to become one of the largest coffee and baked goods chains in the world - with more than
11,300 restaurants in 36 countries.
DD put more emphasis into coffee in the 90s and in 2006
decided to go head-to-head with their rival coffee brand by specifically
calling out Starbucks in a new commercial. It showed customers
struggling to order from a “Fritalian” menu at Starbucks. 2006 was also
the year when the famous “America Runs on Dunkin” campaign was
launched.
Dunkin’ Donuts likes to think about Starbucks a lot in many of
their campaigns, trying to distinguish themselves and attract customers
towards their cheaper, less complicated products. This strategy stems
from many consumers comparing the two brands already. Even this past
winter, consumers compared DDs usage of their new festive holiday cup
with the word “joy,” to Starbucks holiday cup, who was enduring a lot of
backlash for debuting a new plain red cup. which was around the same
time Starbucks was enduring backlash from their own holiday cup.
“”Users praised the design and
lauded Dunkin’ Donuts for
embracing Christmas and the
holidays.They said Dunkin’ did
“what Starbucks should have
done” — reigniting the Great
Starbucks Holiday Cup
Controversy of 2015.”
·
Head-
Quarters
Canton,
Mass
CEO Nigel Travis
Years in
Business
66 years
(since 1950)
# of
Locations
11,300
shops
# of
Countries
36 countries

5. Starbucks Corporation was founded in Seattle, Washington in 1971 by Jerry Baldwin, Zev Siegl and Gordon Bowker.
When brainstorming ideas for a name, the founders thought “St” was a powerful sound to begin a word with. They couldn’t think
of anything good enough for their brand until, somehow, Herman Melville’s classic novel character in Moby Dick, “Starbuck”
was suggested. After adding the sea-inspired, mermaid logo, they knew it was the perfect design. Their final choice ensued
classic | timeless | powerful - notable characteristics which are still distinguishable in the Starbucks brand today.
With 23,768 locations worldwide in 65 countries, the chain has seen huge growth and
success since opening. Starbucks owns the Midwest, West Coast and most metropolitan
areas in the world of coffee.
Starbucks doesn’t really talk about Dunkin’ Donuts in the same way they do in
their own campaigns. They don’t feel the need to compete. They are the most widely
known coffee brand worldwide because they have made such a quick, creative and
intelligent entrance into the market. They are leading examples of how to market your
brand and be successful.
Head-
Quarters
Seattle,
Washington
CEO
Howard
Shultz
Years in
Business
45 years
(since 1971)
# of
Locations
23,768 shops
# of
Countries
65 countries

6. Comparative Maps of
Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts Shops

7. Starbucks has made coffee-drinking more of a
luxurious lifestyle, rather than just a necessary, daily
caffeine boost. Their social media displays a warm,
natural aesthetic, promoting tranquil, comforting vibes.
They often post pictures of exotic places where their coffee
beans are harvested, or a well edited photograph of a latte
with bold lettering targeting quality.
The brand seems to be
lacking in strength, passion and
reach compared to Dunkin’
Donuts. They are, however,
receiving (64% or 66/184)
positive comments, and (61%)
neutral comments. Neither brand
has many negative comments,
but Starbucks also has less
mentions overall. There
engagement seems to be a bit
lacking. I honestly expected
starbucks to be doing better than
Dunkin’. I went ahead and
researched more about Starbucks
marketing tactics, and came up
with some interesting
information.
Dunkin’ is known for their colorful logo and quirky
personality, which they fully impose in their social
media campaigns.The (71%) strength statistic doesn’t
surprise me; DD radiates positivity, exacerbates
constant energy, and demonstrates this through their
social media posts. Their likability and engagement
with customers creates that buzz online.
Compared to its
competitor Starbucks, Dunkin’
Donuts has higher ratings in
passion (34%) and reach
(48%) as well. The brand’s
audience-inclusive efforts have
obviously paid off well in terms
of overall social presence. They
may not have the most
followers or the most expensive
drinks, but they are keeping
their readers interested and
“Run[ing] on Dunkin.”
How Do
They
Measure
Up?
Relies on Customer
Demand to Drive
Simplicity

8. Dunkin is well known for just going for it,
like the every-day American would. This is also
true for social media - they’ll just try out a new
platform, because why not? Although it has worked
with apps like Vine in the past, it is a risky strategy
and takes away effort from others. But i feel as
though their success has definitely outweighed
their losses.
“We work to consistently provide meaningful
content and promote a two-way dialogue
between the brand and our passionate fans.
We’re a fun brand, and our guests who rely
on us for coffee and donuts expect a little fun
from us by making Dunkin’ Donuts part of
their daily lives, “
Because of DDs eccentric attitude, they can
get away with a lot more than Starbucks can. They
can also have less integration between their
platforms, they don’t need to look exactly the
same, or have posts every hour.. People just enjoy
the content and engaging with them online.
Quality Over Quantity.
How Do
They
Measure
Up?
“Starbucks depends on word-of-mouth
advertising through this ―third homeǁ which
had proved greater success than actual
commercials¤ Starbucks aims to cultivate
brand versus traditional advertising¤
What makes Starbucks different, is that
people are obsessed with their brand. Starbucks uses
social media, not as a marketing channel, but a
‘consumer-relationship building environment.’ No
matter what, Starbucks will have people following
and liking everything they do. There advertising on
social media are fairly unique, really targeting that
trendy, unique customer looking for a cup of coffee to
match his style. Ryan Turner, Starbucks director of
Global Social Media.calls it,
“A reflection of the personal relationship people
have with the beverage.”
Starbucks only found out a year later that
users on Facebook created a fan page for
their popular Frappuccino beverage. It had
grown to over a million fans - all before
Starbucks had noticed!

9. THE WINNER:
In terms of reach, strength, passion, and engagement with
customers Dunkin’ Donuts has Starbucks beat. But what I think gives
them the win here is their positive attitude, constant energy and fun
the present online. It is extremely attractive, and is just easy for
Dunkin’ to keep its users interested.
I’d also like to add, that,
their ability to adapt to
unfamiliar circumstances
is an attractive quality for
any brand. It’s important
for social media
marketing because of
how often technology
changes and new
platforms are created.
Being able to take risks, and get involved (& have that
possibility of messing-up) makes Dunkin’ seem so
much more human and relatable to consumers.

10. ROUND ONE:
FACEBOOK
“The beauty of what we've tried to actually
advocate across the markets that represent
Dunkin; is just really show the local flavor
of your community and how they run on
Dunkin."
Dunkin’ Donuts is pretty active on
Facebook and trying to stay up to date with
everything going on in America, especially with
millennials who are probably the brand’s biggest
target on Facebook. Besides the normal updates
on products including their colorful images, they
also include videos and integrate other social
networks with Facebook, like Instagram and
Vine. After being a part of Facebook for the past
9 years, they have really created a community to
interact and communicate with fans.
"Starbucks was holding Facebook
promotions before most restaurants even
figured out this was a space they needed to be
in," say Alicia Kelso, an editor-in-chief at
Networld Media Group. Starbucks' first large
scale social media campaign was back in
2009, when it offered U.S. customers a free
pastry when they purchased a drink before
10:30 A.M. One million people took
advantage of the offer.
Starbucks doesn’t post to Facebook all that
often, although they have a strong following of
36,142,789 fans, and almost 28.5 million
‘people have been here’. There updates include
eye-catching, clever posts. They also include
contests, tips and don’t push their products too
much, although including subtle messages about
buying Starbucks.

11. I’ll give it to Dunkin’ for really drawing you
in, it’s a really fun page. The bright colors and lively
posts are a big reason why they have 13,396,627
likes on Facebook (besides their amazing coffee).
They post on this account once or twice a week -
again, focusing more on quality than quantity. They
have many shares on a single post the posts to the
right have 11,000 shares and 71 shares, so it
definitely varies. From pictures to videos to
contests and information on new products or deals,
Dunkin posts a little bit of everything to Facebook.
They are always trying to keep their fans interested
and coming back to check in!
Below is a great example of using their
products in their posts and really making that
connection to social media, as Facebook recently
updated so you can also “Love” or “wow” a post.
They stay up to date with what’s going on and
makes them an interesting brand to follow on
Facebook.
ROUND ONE:
FACEBOOK
This V-day post, shared 11,000 times, is the kind of
post Dunkin’ Donuts tends to get the most attention and
engagement from - basically anything around the holidays.
This is probably why so many of their ads are focused on
whatever American’s might be celebrating that month, like St.
Patrick’s Day, New Years, Christmas, Etc.

12. ROUND ONE:
FACEBOOK
“According to Capgemini Consulting,
« 94% of the worldwide Facebook
community have at least one friend
who is fan of the Starbucks page or
are, themselves, fan of the brand”
Starbucks Facebook page is more
formal and has a much calmer aesthetic
than Dunkin. They have a very active
page and are good at not trying to push
selling their products.
The page is used to inform
customers, and promote their ‘corporate
social responsibility’ - something they
really pride themselves in. The post to
the right talks about helping 25,000
students with scholarships who want to
get a college education. This post alone
has 11,000 views and 984 likes.
Someone commented about their
appreciation for the company to help her
friend graduate. Starbucks is really good
about responding to their customers and
making them feel appreciated.
“They have simply created an online
community, where fans and friends
can come to share their comments,
pictures, stories, and insider news to
everyone who enjoys Starbucks.”

13. THE WINNER:
Starbucks wins for
their engagement and
support for their fans. I
think this is an essential part
at being a successful
company.

14. ROUND TWO:
TWITTER
Twitter has become such a
necessary platform for many
businesses, but many fail to see its
potential.
Luckily, Dunkin’ Donuts knows
what they are doing when it comes
to Twitter. Their attractive page
and entertaining description,
“Tweeting to you from the DD
mothership. America runs on
Dunkin’”nicely compliments their
brand image. Visually interesting
and clever posts make Dunkin’
really stand-out to consumers and
fans. They have sent 45.7k of
them since joining the platform in
September of 2007. They have
1.06M followers, follow 58k
accounts and have liked 4,907
posts.
According to TweetReach,
DD has been able to use
their marketing skills to
successfully reach 63,118
accounts with 73,633
impressions made
amongst them.
“We also look for
opportunities to run
sweepstakes and contests
around new products,
holiday occasions, or
Tweets 45.7k
Following 58k
Followers 1.06M
Likes 4,907
Joined
September,
2007
In comparison, Starbucks is in a
whole other league even though
they joined over a year after DD
had. They have sent out 62.1k
tweets in the past 8 years, to their
117M followers. They have liked
9,744 posts and followed 99.9k
accounts. The TweetReach
statistics for reach (628,519)
and impressions (725,011)
prove the coffeeshops success at
connecting with their fans.
Interestingly, they have also had
23 large accounts with <100,000
followers tweet about them in the
past - this is a huge jump from
DD’s small number of just 2
<100,000 accounts. .
I enjoy Starbuck’s
strategy to engage with
as many users as
possible, and really
connect on a more
personal level - rather
than just posting and
spamming their devoted
fan base.
A strategy that
most brands
don’t follow
online.
Tweets 62.1k
Following 99.9k
Followers 11.7M
Likes 9,744
Joined
November
2008

15. ROUND TWO:
TWITTER
One thing i really enjoy about
Dunkin’s use of the Twitter
platform is it’s variety of content
and posts to create engagement
among their followers. There’s
posts about everything from sports-
related to holiday-related, to event-
related. Like with other social
media sites, they try to stay up to
date with the world and what’s
going. You can easily tell they are
paying attention to their users likes
and dislikes and trying to center
their posts around them.
They are great at making their
brand feel more like the original,
small-town coffeehouse and less
like a monster, global chain.hey
don’t usually get too serious, which
again helps them seem more
personable and appealing to
consumers. They care about their
customers, and will respond to
negative and postive comments in
pretty good time. DD has addressed
concerns with their products,
negative reviews and any questions
users might have - establishing
their credibility and building trust
with customers.
Twitter accounts, like
Noelle in the photo above,
are constantly snapping
pics with their coffee and
putting it on social media.
Dunkin’ pretty much
retweets all of the pictures
fans tag them in. It makes
the consumer feel good
and promotes their
product and brand
“We are always looking
for timely, of-the-moment
opportunities to develop
integrated marketing
campaigns around
programming and events
our guests care about.”
Dunkin’ creates
campaigns that include
on-air and web
placements, as well as
social media content and
engagement for big events
such as a big game, or the
finale of the Bachelor.
These posts have small
amounts of engagement,
however, which is
surprising considering
their high levels of
engagement on other
platforms.

16. ROUND TWO:
TWITTER
Starbucks doesn’t post nearly as
much as Dunkin’ Donuts does.
While Dunkin’ is more carefree
with their Twitter profile,
Starbucks uses a more strategic
approach when it comes to sharing
content. They make each post
count - each one is unique, timely,
and personable. But, Starbucks
does talk a lot about their in-store
or product experiences with their
fans when they occur, similar to
DD. They usually respond with an
email address to contact about any
issues. Taking these conversations
out of the public eye is probably a
smart move, as businesses should
be extremely aware of what they
post - things go viral quickly on
Twitter.
Another interesting type of
post is their ‘drink ideas’ and ‘fun
facts.’ With supposedly 36,000
different combinations of
Frappuccinos, It’s interesting to see
what other customers have ordered, or
what possibilities there are for
changing up your own order. You
really wouldn’t think about a lot of
these things if you just walked into a
Starbucks and looked on the menu.

17. THE WINNER:
On Twitter, Dunkin’ Donuts and
Starbucks are great examples of what to do
and how to be successful. I think both are
able to really make an impact online and can
get responses from fans. Their audiences are
really enjoying what they offer, and I can
definitely see the connection between what
they post and what their brand stands for.
IT’S A TIE!

18. ROUND THREE:
INSTAGRAM
Starbucks’ Instagram is truly one of kind
and beautiful. It’s simplistic assortment of photos
are related to the coffee community and culture
they try to promote. Each photo is carefully
crafted and edited, and reminds that a simple cup
of coffee can be a true statement. It also includes
more than just their products but again promotes
that coffee lifestyle-type of picture
If t
Posts 1,031
Followers 8.2M
Following 1,867
Posts 788
Followers 763k
Following 6,825
Instagram is one of the best platforms for
both Dunkin’ Donuts and Starbucks. Dunkin’ has
764,000 followers! Their 788 posts center around
holidays and the seasons. Compared to starbucks,
they tend to really target their American customers.
Because it’s instagram, it’s a little bit less
adventurous and wild than DD tends to be with
Facebook and Twitter. They still are able to hold
onto their vibe with a lot of cute pictures that make
scrolling through their Instagram enjoyable

19. ROUND THREE:
INSTAGRAM
"When you think about food, people eat with their
eyes. A lot of what we do with our visual content
strategy on [Instagram] is to be an all-day,
everyday part of people's lives. Visuals are a
great way to tell a story; they're a great way to
get people to pause and interact. A great beautiful
mouthwatering photo of a doughnut is going to
spark your cravings and keep Dunkin top of
mind. “
Dunkin Donuts’ promotes a colorful feed
showing off their offerings and really make
everyone more aware of the Dunkin’ Donuts’
brand. By making everything holiday related, you
crave those flavors in your drinks and can be
enticing for Instagram users out and about on
their phones.
DD tends to really promote their drinks
and foods on Instagram. I saw many posts really
pushing their products or deals-in-store. I’m not
too big of a fan of ads commercializing products
on Instagram. I’m really just there to see pretty
pictures.

20. ROUND THREE:
INSTAGRAM
Let’s start with the numbers, because I
think they are pretty staggering. 8.2
FOLLOWERS? That is insane! With over
1,080 gorgeous, well-thought-out posts, it’s
easy to believe that many people wouldn’t
want to see Starbucks show up when
scrolling through their feed. They also love
to like and comment on their posts. Look
how delicious that starbucks iced coffee
looks, with its simplicity, it really stands out.
They also include a lot of photos about the lifestyle
of drinking coffee - and not just after buying it in stores.
Recently they started a campaign using the hashtag
#CoffeeAtHome to show you can still get Starbucks
blends, and have it taste as good, as when you buy it in
stores. They have lots of pictures of Dads with their kids,
or a girl holding a cup while sitting outside her house
enjoying the warm spring weather. It really showcases the
drinks, but also the people who drink them. Starbucks is
able to promote their brand while still being so customer-
oriented.
One of my favorite photos I saw when scrolling
through their Instagram happened to be pretty recently.
This photo to the right of the “World of Coffee” drawing i
thought was pretty interesting. Somehow they manage to
be so informative, talking about the background of coffee
and where it all comes from, while still maintaining that
classy, artsy image the promote online.

21. THE WINNER:
Starbucks is the winner hands down.
Starbucks not only wins against Dunkin’ Donuts in this
Instagram round - they win against most companies on Insta.

22. ROUND FIVE:
VINE
Starbucks might have a vine account, but
they’ve never used it. Maybe the don’t see it as a
great fit for their brands’ image, but what if they are
missing out on such a great opportunity to extend
that image across these new, developing platforms?
Vine is a place for fun mini-moments of
creativity and show a sense of humor. This is where
Dunkin excels. They were one of the first companies
to actually use Vine for business-related purposes.
With almost 70,000 followers they are reaching
their fans in a new and exciting ways.

23. ROUND FIVE:
VINE
Their first post was made entirely using vine and really
targeted a younger demographic. It showed a latte flipping a coin
to start this hot coffee vs iced coffee football game. They created
four more after that, airing throughout the season in 2013.
Combining their fans love for sports, and especially monday night
football which has one of the highest view counts for games, with
this unique brand awareness is such a unique idea and created a
lot of conversation about the possibilities for companies on
different social networks.
Dunkin’ Donuts decided to
really get into Vine around
september 2013 when they
made one of the most creative
and unique marketing plays
out there.
Pairing up with ESPN Monday
Night Football, Dunkin’
Donuts “premiered what’s
being touted as the first-
ever commercial made
entirely using Vine.”
In addition to this
Monday Night football vine
commercial, they also started
the #DunkinReplay Vine
which features their menu
items and products. Vine,
which is owned by Twitter, is
well integrated between the
two sites and Vines can be
shared easily on either
platform.

24. THE (OBVIOUS)
WINNER:
Unexpected, Original
& Entertaining

25. ROUND SIX:
BLOGS Starbucks didn’t always used to
be so savvy. In fact, in 2005 they
fired a few employees for
blogging about the company.

26. THE WINNER:
Clean, Professional and Informative

27. The Overall
Winner?
STARBUCKS COFFEE
Starbucks and Dunkin’ Donuts have both done a
great job with engaging their audience.. Although this
has been a close battle, I would have to say Starbucks
is the overall winner. They are the front-runner in
creating not only engaging posts that interest their
fans, but actually showing the experience of what it is
like to drink their Starbucks coffee. Starbucks is
recognized all over the world and understand what to
do to stand out amongst their competition, and online
in general. Although Dunkin’ has done a great job at
being fun and quirky, Starbucks differentiates
themselves with strong, well-executed posts and
clearly defines their brand online.
Social
Network
Round
Dunkin’
Donuts
Starbucks
Overall Social
Presence
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Vine
Blogs & Apps
COFFEE
BATTLE
WINNER!