Creepy!

Dunkin' Donuts is also tailoring the cash register ads to your specific purchase. If you buy a breakfast sandwich, you can expect an ad prompting you to return "for a coffee break in the afternoon" to "try an oven-toasted pizza." The system is already in place at two Buffalo, NY locations.

More creepiness from the WSJ:

In a separate test, Procter & Gamble is placing radio-frequency identification tags on products at a Metro Extra retail store in Germany so that when a customer pulls the product off the shelf, a digital screen at eye level changes its message. When a consumer picks out a shampoo for a particular type of hair, for instance, the screen recommends the most appropriate conditioner or other hair products, says John Paulson, president of G2 Interactive, a digital-marketing arm of WPP Group's G2 Network.

This comes as advertisers are spending more of their ad dollars on in-store marketing. Audience fragmentation and the waning power of television ads are forcing marketers to make their pitches and tout their brands when and where consumers are closer to making a purchase: in the store.

The WSJ says that the companies experimenting with this kind of technology "hope to ward off any potential privacy issues by not capturing and storing any personally identifiable information about consumers." What do you think? Is this an invasion of your privacy? Or would you rather see more relevant ads?

The Ad Changes With the Shopper In Front of It [WSJ]
(Photo: stirwise )

Carolyn writes:

I walked into the Dunkin' Donuts and there were three people ahead of me in line. The first two were two girls, who were together. One asked for a free iced coffee, and the guy behind the counter asked her for ID.

She asked why he needed it, and he responded that she had to be over 18 to receive the free coffee. She asked if he was serious, and said she didn't have any ID.

At that point, those of us behind her in line started saying that we'd never heard of that rule, and I said that I'm a high school teacher and many of my 14-year-old students today had gotten free iced coffee.

He replied that he didn't make the rules, and the girls left.

The woman ahead of me and I then pulled out our IDs to get our coffee, but he said he didn't need to see them, it was just that those girls looked so young to him.

How odd! Let's look at Dunkin' Donuts Brand Marketing Officer Frances Allen's description of free iced coffee day:

We look forward to treating everyone to a free cup of our delicious, freshly brewed iced coffee on May 15.

Not everyone who look over 18. Not everyone with ID. Everyone!

We called the Dunkin' Donuts on 2nd Avenue and said that we were 17 and in need of free iced coffee. They told us to get lost, adults only. For the hell of it, we called two more Dunkin' Donuts' down the block. Neither is carding customers, and one told us to "bring the kids."

According to the corporate office, free iced coffee day is for everyone. They're trying to track down the franchisee to work out a solution. Another free iced coffee day seems in order. Kids only.

(Photo: cheesebikini)

"Can I have some ice water?"
"No ice water, read the sign."
"Ok then, how about an empty cup?"
"No."
"Why not, it's not on the sign?"
"Get out! I call cops!"
"I'm coming back with my boxcutter, just as soon as my friend is done using it to hold up struggling musicians."
Door slams.
"Damn, we need to make a more comprehensive sign."

Annnd scene. Hey, at least they're celebrating earth day by reusing the buy 6 donuts get 6 free signs.

Free H20 In Any State, Won't Be Served At Dunkin' Donuts [ANIMAL]

Doughnuts cooked with cottonseed oil had a bad aftertaste. The 100 percent palm oil bled right through the pastry, leaving an oily mess on Dunkin's signature pink tray paper. Anyone daring enough to try one discovered a dry, yet waxy dough with a distinct flavor of palm. Nearby employees who were developing other products in the research lab would curse at them, LeClair recalled, yelling "Are you crazy?" after the team left out batches of the mystery doughnuts for them to try.

Dunkin's research and development manager, Rick Golden, one of the few people in the know, slept with his cellphone by his pillow every night during the trial, waiting for someone to call with a doughnut crisis. No one did.

Baking with the new oil blend, a deeper shade of brown than the old one, costs less than a penny more per doughnut. Dunkin' says it is not recommending a price increase, but the decision is up to franchisees.

"Whether a trans-fat-free doughnut is going to increase sales or not, it doesn't matter. If your competitors are making claims about trans fats, you just have to be on the right side of the issue. It's like keeping up with the Joneses," said Ron Paul, president of Technomic Inc., a food industry consulting group in Chicago.

The long, secret journey to a healthier donut [Boston Globe]
(Photo:Morton Fox)

The result is hilarious. From NEW YORK STATE RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION VS NEW YORK CITY BOARD OF HEALTH:

Dunkin' Donuts submitted a sample menu board in an attempt to demonstrate that calorie information would not fit along with price information. From that sample, the Department's director of graphics produced a replica of the menu board with comparable fonts and layout to demonstrate that calories could be listed easily and visibly, as shown in the illustrations below, and in Mr. Krueger's declaration.. These modifications, as well as the earlier examples, provide clear evidence that calorie listings required by the regulations are feasible to implement with basic graphic design techniques.

Dunkin' Donut's sample menu is on the left, NYC's on the right. We were initially skeptical of this regulation, but have to admit that the Subway menu looks really nice and doesn't seem weird or gross at all. And, since the regulation only applies to big restaurant chains who have already had their nutritional info calculated... We fail to see what the big deal is. For background on what the regulation is and who it applies to, click here.

New York State Restaurant Association VS New York Board of Heath, New York Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, (Legal Brief, PDF) [CSPI]

PREVIOUSLY: NYC Restaurant Group Sues Over Nutritional Info Regulation

From Time:

If it weren't for the pink door handle shaped like the letter D at the new Dunkin' Donuts shop in Sarasota, Fla., you might think you had stumbled into a Starbucks. Bags of beans and oversize coffee mugs near the door? Check. A waiting area for lattes and cappuccinos? Check. Heck, there's even free wi-fi and a rack of gift cards by the register.

This is the Dunkin' Donuts of the future, a chic space with soaring ceilings and earth-toned walls that will be the prototype for every new store the 57-year-old chain opens. "We're not a sleepy little New England company anymore," says Dunkin' Brands CEO Jon Luther, 63. Sure, they'll still have time to make the doughnuts for your morning commute, but Luther thinks the slightly musty chain is ready to take on the industry giants—Starbucks and McDonald's—on their turf. He started small, rolling out espresso drinks in 2003; they now account for 5% of sales. Next he plans to triple the number of U.S. stores, to 15,000, by 2020; expand the menu with pizza and flatbread sandwiches; and give the stores a much-needed makeover.

Where's Denis Leary when you need him? "You took the donut, you dunked it in the coffee, thus the #%@$% title of the place."—MEGHANN MARCO

Brand New Buzz [Time]
(Photo: Qfamily)

In other news, for those of your on the east coast: Rita's Italian Ice is giving away a free "Regular Italian Ice" at all of their locations. —MEGHANN MARCO

Rita's Italian Ice (Thanks, Steve!)
(Photo: Cmorran123)

On Wednesday, March 21, the official first day of spring, Dunkin' Donuts will host its first-ever all day, nationwide "Free Iced Coffee Day."

For 24 hours on March 21, customers can visit any participating Dunkin' Donuts restaurant in the country and receive a free 16 oz. cup of Dunkin' Donuts' premium iced coffee, which is double-brewed to ensure full flavor with every cup.

Dunkin' Donuts Puts Winter "On Ice" by Heralding First Day of Spring With First-Ever Nationwide "Free Iced Coffee Day" [Dunkin' Donuts]
(Photo: Maulleigh)

• More 24 hour locations.

• Extended hours at non-24 hour locations.

• Longer breakfast hours. Perhaps breakfast all day.

• McCafes that sell espressos and premium baked goods.

Other chains are getting in on the fun as well. Wendy's is testing a breakfast menu at 120 stores. Dunkin' Donuts plans to triple its stores and offer menus that include "breakfast pizza." The future of fast food depends on longer hours, more menu options, and more breakfast! —MEGHANN MARCO

McDonald's 24/7 [Business Week]

The Times goes on to give some examples of ads that have appeared on mobile phones in the past. "The ads have tended to involve simple banners or text messages, like those connected to the "American Idol" show, in which consumers are urged to send in a vote. Or they have offered digital coupons, like those that allow Dunkin' Donut customers to show a coupon on their phone at the counter to get a 99 cent latte."

Wow, a latte. So what is the future of cell phone advertising? "David Goodrich, director of digital for the West Coast region for OMD, an ad agency, said he did not believe mobile advertising could be particularly effective until marketers could regularly and easily buy space for video clips.

Advertisers "are crazed to get information" onto the phones, Mr. Goodrich said. But the effectiveness "will be really limited until you've enabled site[sic], sound and motion."

Fantastic, we can not properly express the rage we will feel if our cell phone ever plays a video clip that shills Dunkin' Donuts Lattes while we're just trying to check the weather. Sigh. Are we alone on this? —MEGHANN MARCO

Verizon to Allow Ads on Its Mobile Phones [New York Times]

He was 83, or 6.9 dozen.

'Time to make the doughnuts' actor dies [CNN]