- Adweek Staff

BOSTON Interpublic Group's Hill, Holliday has expanded its relationship with Dunkin' Donuts, adding digital media planning and buying for the client, which had previously used Studiocom for those duties.

Boston-based Hill, Holliday was already the chain's lead shop for traditional creative and media chores, so the move effectively constitutes an overall media consolidation.

"Consumers don't think of online as a separate element of the brand experience. By thinking about the consumer experience consistently across all media channels, we can drive greater impact and ultimately higher ROI for the Dunkin' brand," said Baba Shetty, the shop's chief media officer, in a statement.

The company's most recent work from Hill, Holliday launched in October. It revolves around a taste test against rival Starbucks. Ads have long been tagged, "America runs on Dunkin'."

Dunkin's online ad spending has climbed dramatically in recent years to $15 million-plus in the first eight months of 2008 from $6 million for all of last year, per TNS Media Intelligence.
 
The client annually spends more than $100 million in measured media and it has grown to become one of Hill, Holliday's largest and highest-profile accounts. Spending through the first eight months of 2008 has exceeded $85 million, per Nielsen Monitor-Plus.