Hill Holliday is launching a new spot for Dunkin’ Donuts, entitled “Keep On.”
The sugary anthem ad celebrates “Every day” as a chance “to do something amazing.” With Dunkin’ Donuts coffee cups, donuts and breakfast sandwiches placed strategically throughout, the spot examines upbeat scenes of a boy trying out a new prosthetic arm, a woman blowing out the candles on her 97th birthday cake and everyday scenes of people “Working’, “Living,” “Playing” and “Loving.”
The treacly spot aims to make an emotional connection with viewers through its positive message celebrating whatever it is they’re doing. “Keep on being you,” reads text near the ad’s conclusion, followed by the “#KeepOn” tagline. “Keep On” will make its broadcast debut next Tuesday during America’s Got Talent.
While the spot temporarily moves beyond the decade-old tagline with the new “Keep On” brand platform, Linda SanGiacomo, senior director of advertising and customer experience for Dunkin’ Donuts, told Adweek the spot marks an evolution of its “America Runs On Dunkin” campaign, rather than a fresh start, and the brand will not be retiring the old standby.
“It’s a modern interpretation of ‘America Runs On Dunkin’,” she said. “And that is celebrating that positive energy and perseverence that defines our guests and our brand. ‘Keep On’ is really that evolution and that modernization.”
“Where ‘America Runs on Dunkin’ works great is that it’s a great brand strategy line in regards to growth and fuel, but what it was missing was the celebration of our customer and honoring our customer and that’s what ‘Keep On’ is all about,” added Hill Holliday senior vice president, group creative director Chris D’Amico.
Hill Holliday and Dunkin’ Donuts aren’t the only ones who have re-thought what their longtime tagline means to their larger brand message. Yesterday we wrote about DDB Chicago’s new campaign for State Farm, which replaces the brand’s iconic “Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” tagline which debuted over 40 years ago.
Update: An earlier version of this article suggested that Hill Holliday was “replacing” their “America Runs on Dunkin'” tagline with “Keep On.” A Dunkin’ Donuts PR spokesperson clarified that while the line doesn’t appear in “Keep On,” it is not being replaced and “#Keep On” is, in fact, the newest evolution of “America Runs on Dunkin’.”