Last September, when Dunkin' Donuts announced it was changing its name to Dunkin', the company's marketers created content to highlight that the brand was now on a "first-name basis" with fans. "We even gave away handmade friendship bracelets to commemorate the change," says Drayton Martin, VP of brand stewardship at Dunkin' U.S. "People have a real sense of ownership for our brand. You see this in the way many of our guests refer to us as 'Dunks,' or 'Dunkies,' as if we're a good friend."
While the idea of a brand aspiring to be friends with consumers might have seemed...