What explains Dunkin' Donuts?
Dunkin’ Donuts owns Connecticut, and New England for that matter. But what explains the dominance of Dunks over Starbucks, and even independent coffee shops?
To find the answer, I think you have to look at the origin story of each company. Assuming that people tend to attach themselves to larger narratives, brand loyalties in CT start to make more sense. In short, I think Dunkin’ represents a certain cultural element that New Englanders feel comfortable identifying with.
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Recent picture of New Haven, CT: home to 10 Dunks locations.
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Starbucks: Cultural Identifiers
Starbucks appeals to a sort of post-hippie capitalist/left coast individualist spirit. After all, it is a Seattle institution, the place that monetized and sanitized fringe art movements, grunge rock, and coffee. The Pacific Northwest was founded by New England Yankees, so the culture carries an inherited sense of Yankee habits and customs, with much emphasis being placed on education, hard work, and using government to create an equitable society.
However, that Yankee culture got filtered through the rugged individualism of the great west, which accounts for today's Pacific NW culture that, yes, values education and government, but is a lot more flashy, casual, and individualistic. Status symbols are OK, and difference/individualism is celebrated.
(PS: for more about regional cultures, see http://95northct.blogspot.com/2017/03/representations-maps-of-north-america.html).
Dunkin': Cultural Identifiers:
New Englanders tend to think that they’re really not so special, prefer to live modestly, and frown upon those that make bold statements about their social position or wealth. New England is also a place that is firmly embedded in a working class or middle class philosophy that places emphasis work and utility over luxury and indulgence, as opposed to the west coast culture of individualism. Thus, Dunkin’ Donuts is there to serve as the practical “fuel” (America runs on Dunkin’) whereas Starbucks is seen as more of a luxury or status symbol, with its elegant names for sizes (grande or venti, anyone?) and European inspired cafe culture. Dunks is also a little cheaper, and it is the great democratizer, which appeals to the cultural essence of New England which values commonalities over eccentricities.
It is indeed hard to see too far on any congested road in Connecticut without finding a treasured Dunkin’, and I guess it is not difficult to see why this Quincy, MA gem has spread its wings but not too far. Dunkin’ embodies working class values by giving the people fuel to go about their duties. In fact, it basically started as a coffee-break-on-the-construction-site type place. Lounging with a latte is seen as something else all together, if not a bit indulgent. That’s why Connecticut goes with Dunks. Based on their marketing efforts, I'm sure Dunks is aware.
As for me. . .I've been to both places. I like Dunks coffee and Starbucks' ginger tea. I'm cool with local spots as well, but on the run, Dunks usually works best. They're everywhere, and after all, they are a New England institution as much as the Kennedy's are (Ted Kennedy Jr is probably going to run for governor in CT). So get out there any enjoy your coffee, New England, and participate in a ritual that binds the social classes together: a cup o' joe.
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Old Dunks advertisement
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Dunks vs. Bucks
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Orange= prefers Dunks. C'mon, Ridgefield!
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Nice piece Stefan-man. A few points to consider:
ReplyDelete1) I would hesitate to classify New Englanders as those who, "tend to think that they’re really not so special, prefer to live modestly, and frown upon those that make bold statements about their social position or wealth." While there are certainly many blue collar types in the north east, one fact remains: New England is (for all intents and purposes) the epitome of white collar elitism. Connecticut, New York City, Rhode Island, and parts of Massachusetts/Maine house extreme wealth. If I had to guess I would say New England is the most consolidated region of wealth and power in the United States. This poses a problem for equating Dunks with the working class, which leads me to my second point.
2) Is Dunkin' Donuts truly preferred in New England, or is it simply more prevalent. I would argue that if you adjusted for revenue and customers served daily, you would find that Starbucks is still the more "popular" franchise in New England.
3) I have yet to understand how Starbucks has secured a stronghold in the American Rust Belt. Cost of living, socioeconomic status, and hipster counter culture would suggest that Starbucks would suffer in this part of the country, yet they seemingly thrive. Not only is it hard to find a Dunkin' Donuts in the Rust Belt, they are noticeably emptier. The best explanation is that Starbucks has done a much better job of marketing to young (18-30 year old) clientele who are willing to pay $3 for mediocre coffee.
Word! Well, New England is wealthy. It's not so much about the actual data, but the cultural myths and narratives people like to tie themselves too. If you look at the blue collar origin story of Dunks, it's clear that New Englanders were ready to wholeheartedly embrace the middle class norms Dunks represents despite their economic status. I think it's important to note that NE is a region that features a higher degree of middle class and blue collar unionionzed workers, at least compared to the south and west. This not only cements the working class narrative but indicates the presence of a fairly affluent middle class (compared to the rest of the country). I see you have a point re: the regions wealth, but I think it's more about cultural mythos and regional identity. If you ever read the book "The Nations of North America" by Colin Woodward, you'll see I'm working through the padigrim he lays out, and trying to connect that to Dunks' popularity. It's highly debatable and shaky, but I'm ride or die with that book.
ReplyDeleteLet's discuss over a warm cup of Cumby's Farmhouse Blend.
ReplyDeleteAh yes, perfect right after a cup of 7/11 Green Bean Brew.
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