Dunkin' Donuts Using Pork Pastries & LeBron James To Woo China

A plan that includes pork donuts and LeBron James might not work so well in say, Cleveland, but Dunkin’ Donuts is betting those in China will just love it. Its parent company is shooting for the stars over in China, where it aims to open another 100 stores.

Reuters says Dunkin’ already has 150 locations in China, and wants to expand on popularity there with a very specific plan in mind.

“Donuts are a very flexible product. You can do savory donuts, you can do donuts with shredded pork — that’s in China,” Chief Executive Officer Nigel Travis told Reuters. “We also have a range of other savory products that we have been testing and introducing country by country.”

Targeting the Chinese consumer with James as the brand ambassador is a specific move, as he’s got a huge following there. He’ll appear in ads, in-store marketing and even appear in person at the stores, where milk tea and bagels with pork floss will be on the menu. Might sound gross to Americans, but hey, to each his own.

“While we compete in very competitive markets, I think the key is to focus on the consumer, to understand their needs better than anybody and deliver on that,” said Travis.

Does this mean I can expect a cheese donut line hawked by Ryan Gosling? Thanks in advance, Dunkin’!

Dunkin’ aims at China with pork donuts and LeBron James [Reuters]

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