Mumbai’s turn to go dunkin’.

After successfully operating the Industrial Luncheon Service, serving factory workers during World War II from mobile carts, Dunkin’ Donuts does the same with Mumbaikars. Before the official launch in Mumbai, the Dunkin van zoomed around the city spreading the news and some awesomeness in the form of Dunkin’ Donuts; available in 23 varieties. Dunkin Donuts opened 2 stores in Mumbai on 10th May,2014, one at  Linking Road, Khar and the other at Phoenix Market City, Kurla. After a successful start in North India, these would be Dunkin’ Donuts first two restaurants in West India and takes its total store count in India to 29 stores, 15 of which offer home delivery service.

• DUNKIN TIMELINE → Delhi(2012)⇒Dehradun & Patiala(2013)⇒Mumbai(2014)

Talking about the variety, the DD menu definitely spoils the consumers for choice, with its range of burgers, salads, beverages and of course the donuts. A regular cappuccino is now priced at 85 INR and the burgers are priced in between 100 INR and 190 INR, the ‘heaven can wait’ and ‘tough guy’ burger being the most highly priced. Jubiliant Foodworks which launched Dunkin’ Donuts & More in India (In India, they have appended “& More” to the vibrant pink and orange logo to represent the savoury items served here), in April 2012, continues to hold the franchisee for the Mumbai stores too.  The company  is also the market leader in the organized pizza market with a 67% market share in India according to a latest Euromonitor report and competes with Yum Brands that operates Pizza Hut and KFC in India.

Dev Amritesh, the President and Chief Operating Officer at Dunkin’ Donuts & More, India, was a part of the press release as well as the pre launch event; a culinary experiential workshop organised for a set of bloggers at the newly opened store at Khar, Mumbai. The buzz created by the brand prior to the launch resulted in congregation of the people on the launch-day, at the entrance, even before the stores opened. at around 6;45 am there were more than 650 people queued up utside the store. Along with the traditional print media, the brand has also used OOH[1] and digital media to communicate the launch details.

Dunkin’ Donuts & More(Khar outlet)

Dunkin’ Donuts & More(Khar outlet)

Dunkin Donuts & more in India targets the young adults who have outgrown the older QSRs[2] and find them juvenile and are looking for something more evolved and a far cry from the traditional formats. The brand promises to give the consumers a novel and an unmatched experience. DD brings to Mumbai an offering which has been fine tuned over the last two years since its entry in the country. The menu and interiors of the flagship store at Khar reflect the brand’s new youth-centric positioning.

Indian customers look for innovation all the time, they don’t want run of the mill products. Dunkin Donuts & More has knuckled down to ensure that the newness is not only in the form of product offerings but also in the nomenclature and communication; the recently launched “Heaven Can Wait” burger and “The Tough Guy” burger setting the precedent for the same.

Amritesh opined that there was no way the global model of Dunkin’ Donuts would have worked in India. “Majority of Dunkin’ Donut’s sales in the US happen between 6 am to 8 am. The whole of America literally runs on Dunkin’ Donuts, as people constantly hop in and out of a Dunkin’ Donuts store as they get to work. Replicating this model in India is difficult as the concept of having breakfast on the go doesn’t exist.” says Amritesh.

Hence there was no way DD could copy paste the US model in India, where the consumers like to experience the ambiance of the restaurant when they go for a meal. Also research shows that urban youth is rapidly evolving, and after consuming the QSR brands for more than a decade, a new segment among the youth is emerging, who find the QSR brands more of a family place and infantile and cafes more apt for social occasions than for food consumption.
In December 2013, after almost more than a year since the brand’s entry in the country Dunkin’ Donuts & More announced the launch of its new positioning in India setting its sights on the urban youth consumer. The tagline “Get your mojo back” is taken forward by the line up of its newly launched products.

Dev Amritesh commented “Get your Mojo Back’ positioning is a reflection of our desire to give our consumers an offering that helps them fight the programmed nature of their lives. There are enough moments in a young person’s life when things go terribly wrong for them, therefore our slogan to the youth is to come to Dunkin’ Donuts when everything is going wrong for them and get their mojo back.”

The tag line hasn’t created significant resonance with the youth yet, like the tag lines of few other brands which say “I’m loving it” or “A lot can happen over coffee” has. Considering the period of time for which the brand is present in the country it will be unfair to derive the popularity of the tag line. For now, the tagline, “Get your mojo back” and the brand communication seems to be too evolved for the Indian consumers who might not appreciate the dark humor and satire that the brand has been resorting to.

As per the company’s expansion plans, the next city which the brand targets to enter is Bangalore. It would be interesting to see if launch receives the same consumer reaction as in Mumbai. Currently Krispy Kreme is “the place” for doughnuts in Bangalore, with 9 outlets in the city and 1 outlet in Delhi.

Dunkin’ Donuts & More Menu

Launch Ad in The Bombay Times on 9th May, 2014.

Product Promotional Ad in The Delhi Times on 9th May, 2014.

Product Promotional Ad in The Delhi Times on 17th May, 2014.

[1] Out of home advertising is focused on marketing to consumers when they are “on the go” in public places, in transit, waiting (such as in a medical office), and/or in specific commercial locations (such as in a retail venue). Outdoor advertising formats fall into four main categories: billboards, street furniture, transit, and alternative

[2] A quick service restaurant (QSR), also known as a fast food restaurant within the industry, is a specific type of restaurant characterized both by its fast food cuisine and by minimal table service. Food served in fast food restaurants typically caters to a “meat-sweet diet” and is offered from a limited menu; is cooked in bulk in advance and kept hot; is finished and packaged to order; and is usually available ready to take away, though seating may be provided. Fast food restaurants are typically part of a restaurant chain or franchise operation, which provisions standardized ingredients and/or partially prepared foods and supplies to each restaurant through controlled supply channels.