Dunkin’ Donuts partnered with Discovery Channel’s Shark Week with an advertiser-branded interactive experience on Xbox, engaging 120,000 people for an average of 13 minutes.
DUNKIN' DONUTS - SHARK WEEK from rod hassler on Vimeo.
Case study summary
• Food brand targeted 18- to 49- year-old Discover viewers.
• Xbox fans watching SharkWeek could watch additional content side by side on their live TV screen
• Got 150,000 downloads of the Dunkin’-branded shark-themed wallpaper and avatar props.
The challenge
Shark Week has been drawing audiences in droves since 1988 and has consistently engaged fans every summer, which is a difficult time of the year for reaching audiences via broadcast. Dunkin’ Donuts wanted to integrate its brand into Shark Week, capitalize on the consumer trend of interacting with broadcast content via a second screen, and stay true to its brand personality by engaging with fans in a fun, playful way.
The target audience consisted of 18- to 49- year-old Discover viewers. Research confirmed that this target was viewing broadcast content on their televisions and simultaneously interacting with that content and sharing it via a second screen. They were learning more about that content through search, or posting to social via smartphones or tablets.
The brand wanted to increase awareness on-air, create engagement online, drive traffic in-store, and encourage fans to sign up for the Dunkin’ Donuts loyalty program.
The solution
The program expanded on a multi-platform sponsorship of “Shark After Dark” through a first-ever advertiser-branded interactive experience on Xbox that included companion viewing content, social media, and a Shark Week-themed donut.
With the Dunkin’ Donuts Shark Week campaign, the brand set out to increase awareness on-air, create engagement online, drive traffic in-store, and encourage fans to sign up for the Dunkin’ Donuts loyalty program. The program expanded on a multi-platform sponsorship of “Shark After Dark” through a first-ever advertiser branded interactive experience on Xbox, companion viewing content, social media, and a Shark Week-themed donut. The overall campaign budget was $1 million to $5 million.
Expanding a traditional broadcast buy beyond commercial spots was a priority, so Dunkin’ engaged fans in social through the “Take a Bite, Take a Pic” contest. For this activation, customers shared photos of themselves taking a bite out of their favorite breakfast product. Photos were tagged with the #DDSharkWeek hashtag for a chance to be featured on Shark After Dark and to win Dunkin’/Discovery goodies. This activation, while successful on its own, drove viewers to the second half of the program, an Xbox experience by Dunkin’. This experience offered value by providing viewers with additional exclusive content and allowed them to interact with that content right on their primary screens.
Mobile Execution:
• Through the SNAP feature on Xbox, fans watching SharkWeek could simultaneously launch an interactive web app and enjoy additional content side by side on their live TV screen, which provided a second-screen experience on their primary screen.
• Viewers had access to interactive quizzes, real-time viewer polls, and a stream of the Take a Bite, Take a Pic photo content.
• Viewers could download custom branded shark wallpaper to their Xbox and a shark helmet prop for their Xbox 360 Avatar.
The results
This was the first year that a campaign of this kind ran, and it saw 10 times more submissions than past promotions with Discovery. The campaign’s 360-degree approach generated 3,300 submissions for Take a Bite, Take a Pic; approximately 61,000 fan engagements with Dunkin’s Shark Week-related content; and over 2.3 million Facebook impressions. Other metrics included:
• Nearly 120,000 people engaged with the Xbox experience, spending an average of 13 minutes with the brand, while over 18,000 people opted in for more information on the DD Perks program.
• There were 150,000 downloads of the Dunkin’-branded shark-themed wallpaper and avatar props.
• Most importantly, the overall campaign increased key persuasion metrics: a 20-point lift in brand favorability, and a 22-point lift in visit intent for the 18-to-49 audience. Those who participated in the Dunkin’ Donuts Shark Week partnership were also likely to complete other high-value actions, such as visit a DD store (91 percent) or sign up for DD Perks Loyalty (88 percent).
