Donuts, Coffee and Terrorism!
Recently, Dunkin’ Donuts, in a attempt to further their brand equity using the world of online
advertising, hired super-perky gadfly Rachael Ray in an exclusive online ad, pimping their coffee. Nice try, right?
Wrong.
Michelle Malkin saw the ad and blogged that the scarf that Rachel was wearing looked like a kaffiyeh:
”The kaffiyeh, for the clueless, is the traditional scarf of Arab men that has come to symbolize murderous Palestinian jihad.”
Michelle, the only thing that Rachael Ray does is irritate me with her perkiness. I sincerely doubt that she is the 20th hijacker. But, I digress.
Here’s where it gets strange: Dunkin’ Donuts, hearing pressure from people who read Malkin’s highly popular blog, PULLED THE ONLINE AD, stating that Ray’s fashion was “paisley” and not a keffiyah. But they still pulled the ad, likely fearing a backlash or boycott. There’s a good move.
My unsolicited advice to Dunkin’ Donuts is that they have done about the dumbest thing imaginable. I am not even talking about pulling down the ad, which was beyond stupid. Had the company defended their right to advertise online, what and where they choose and left the ad up, people who have not seen the ad would be scouring You Tube to get a look at it, or at least the still photos.
Bottom line for Dunkin’ Donuts? Probably a hundred times more impressions than they would have received without the controversy had they left the ad up. The should be kissing the ad agency.
Me? I’m a Starbucks guy, but the next time I am in Boston and can only find a Dunkin’ Donuts, I am going to keep walking.
And now that I have piqued your curiosity, the ad is here:
Mark
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