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Joe the Plumber may not have been able to get John McCain to the White House, but can he sell can he sell a cup of coffee?
Ok, so we're not actually talking about Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, the real Joe the Plumber made famous by the 2008 presidential election. He doesn't appear in any of the ads that are part of the multimillion-dollar campaign just launched by Dunkin' Donuts. But plenty of his buddies seem to.
The Cola Wars petered out in the 1980s, but it looks like we're destined for a second decade of the Coffee Wars, with Starbucks, McDonald's and Dunkin' Donuts all vying to provide bleary-eyed Americans with their morning jolt of caffeine. From what we can read between the lines of Dunkin's press release on their latest ad blitz, the company appears to be sending a blatant message to Starbucks in particular: "You can have your East and West Coast yuppies, with their New York Times tucked under their arm and absently humming along to Kings of Leon while they wait for their chai soy lattes. We'll take the average Joe."
To wit, no fewer than three hardhat-wearing construction workers appear in one of the new commercials, along with a traffic cop. A couple firemen from Georgia, who were two of the 1,000 Dunkin' Donuts fans who showed up for an open casting call in November, appear in another ad.
The good, hardworking, populist ethos is reinforced by the campaign's tagline, which reminds us that Dunkin' Donuts has always been the sort of place to drop your pretentious-sounding elocution: "What're you drinkin'? I'm drinkin' Dunkin'." Who needs "g's" at the ends of words anyways?
No doubt Starbucks elitists have another tagline for this sort of campaign in mind: average joe for average Joes.
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1-09-2011 @6:26AM AP said... I'll take my Tim Hortons over any of them, thanks :)
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1-09-2011 @5:33PM Al Schrader said... You see there are two kinds of popular coffee Arabica & Robusta. The Arabica is more expensive milder one but has less caffien. The Robusta is cheaper, but has the deer in the headlights caffien. Each has it's pluses & minuses. I make coffee for presidential candidates, astronauts, celebs, etc. To start with you want a gas powered pot. The water needs to be exactly 170 degrees Fahrenheit...too hot and the coffee will be bitter, too cold and it's weak. I brew it just a little strong to start with, then I "adjust" it with 170 degree F water until it is perfect. It can't sit over the flame for more than 45 minutes. After that, it has become oxidized (reacted with the atmosphere) & is trash.
It can however be kept in a sealed unheated insulated urn for a few hours. I can't tell you how to adjust it with the water, it's done by chef's taste. Is something you have to learn, but done correctly, it becomes roll you eyes back smile on your face coffee...Alfred-
1-09-2011 @7:18AM John F.C. Taylor said... Anyone remember The Demolition Man with Sylvester Stallone.? Taco Bell was the only survivor of the fast food franchises in that movie. This article makes me think of that.
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1-09-2011 @7:44AM John S said... Rottsa Ruck! I'm one of those blue collar average Joes, living in Texas. I drink Starbuck's at home. I have had both DD's and Mickey D's coffee out of necessity, while on the road. They have a long way to go to reach the quality and taste standard set by Starbuck's. I don't remember seeing an espresso machine in either place, so they can't make my favorites.
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1-09-2011 @8:09AM Lindsay said... Starbucks coffee is nasty! The only thing it's good for is painting the side of a barn, or varnishing wood furniture. One small cup of their average cup of coffee would equal at least three cups of coffee for me...it is WAY too strong. No matter which brew you pick, they brew it WAY too dark and strong. It's horrible. Dunkin Donuts coffee is better than Starbucks, hands down. However, Seattle's best is the by far the absolute winner for coffee taste, strength and quality. Starbucks just needs to go away. Nothing in their store stands out as superior to any other products found in other places. It's high-priced, snobbish, foo foo food and drink....it's more about status and pretense than taste or value.
1-09-2011 @8:14AM Lauren said... Actually, DD does have espresso. And I'm an avid coffee drinker myself. Starbucks coffee tastes bitter, like someone burned the pot while making it. Worst coffee ever. And soooo not worth the 5 dollar a cup price!
1-09-2011 @9:12AM Kristina said... The flavor and quality of starbucks far outshines dunkin' donut's, whose coffee tastes extremely watered down and isn't near as strong as it should be. Starbucks is probably more geared towards the people who drink their coffee for the flavor of the bean.
1-09-2011 @12:54PM cc said... LIndsey - Seattle's Best is Starbucks! Hello! Before you bash know your facts.
Lauren - I'm not sure where you get your info either but a cup of black coffee not a latte is only $1.50 at Starbucks and I'm in NYC the highest prices around. So again know before you post please.
1-09-2011 @1:55PM debbie said... Umm D and D makes awesome cappuccinos as well as amazing lattes They have the best coffee Starbucks tastes like the overpriced sludge that it is. Yuppies wouldnt know a good coffee from cow dung they mostly drink it to be trendy I cannot stand the customer service either. D and D has been my place of choice for 30 yrs will never change.In these times I dont know how anyone can justufy spending enormous amounts of money on overpriced crap....
1-09-2011 @12:51PM Deborah said... I guess it all comes down to PERSONAL PREFERRED TASTE.....
1-14-2011 @5:07AM Tania said... Kristina, honey, you've been way overcharged! I buy Starbucks daily for $1.50. Sorry, I don't need a thousand syrup and sauces and more. Or the cals.
1-09-2011 @8:13AM JACKIE O said... I used to drink only "Dunk's", but have since tried McDonald's Newman's Coffee. (I am trying to pare down my daily expenses.) Here in New England, McDonald's advertises "New England's Own Flavor," which is surprisingly good. I tried Starbucks only ONCE, a couple years ago, and it gave me a "splitting headache." I have never tried it since. I drink my coffee black, and I think Starbucks was just too strong.
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1-09-2011 @8:30AM vm said... To even consider DD's coffee in the same league as starbucks is a joke, coffee drinkers do know the difference between dish water and coffee. They may have good donuts, but lets get real coffee they know nothing about.
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1-09-2011 @12:42PM Kyle said... They are all pretentious, give me a cup of Wafle House coffee, still not as good as having a whole fresh pot of Maxwell House at home. ( Foldgers will do in a Pinch ). Lets see a cot is 12 Cups, and it's $1.50 a cup so you can go out for about $20 a pot, put up with the cold, and the creeps, stand in line, and waist Gas, or set the timer, wake up to the aroma of a fresh pot, and have a cup before you leave the house, or even put on your pants. Oh ans save enough for 1/2 a tank of Gas.
1-09-2011 @12:44PM JDen1952 said... Kyle, let's take it a step further. A full 3-pound can of Folger's at my local Sam's Club is about $12. My local supermarket sells its own brand (34.5-oz can) for about $7. Doing the math, an 8-oz. cup of Folger's costs me 4.2¢; same cup of store's own label 3.4¢. For simplicity's sake, let's just say it cost's me half a cent per ounce for a cup of coffee. That's a dime for 20 ounces. How much do you pay for a 20-oz. cup at McD's, Starbuck's, DD, Tim Horton's, even your local gas station (Hess used to be pretty good)?
1-09-2011 @8:18AM Fed Up said... "Crosshairs" probably isn't the best term to be using today.
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1-09-2011 @12:42PM Kyle said... Your probably right about not using the term Cross hair, besides, it's not the cross hair they are adding to the coffee filter, it's the short hairs. ( you know the little curley ones ) . Make your coffee at home, and you will know whats in it.
1-09-2011 @8:40AM aratny said... i much prefer dunkin. as matter of fact i cant stand starbucks. id rather not have coffee.
but before the holidays dunkin ran that sale 4 for 20. 4 lbs for 20 bucks. i went to 6 stores over a weeks time not one had original coffee. because theyre not corporate stores they dont give a damn. franchise wners dont care about anything but making money and theyre not held accountable to service. when will corporations realize franchising falls far short when youre protecting an image.
i may not have dunkin anymore, this sale left such a bad taste in my mouth... curry donuts ... you may cash in here!
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1-09-2011 @8:58AM trslynx said... Dunkin Donuts "COFFEE". They have lousy coffee. Talk about nasty. DD shops are terrible places and usually dirty. I would rather go to a McDonalds next door than one of those. Starbucks has a much better selection of coffee and you can sit and enjoy it in a much nicer enviroment.
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1-09-2011 @9:04AM hughglass said... I quit starbucks years ago over the small, medium, large bulljive. Can't stand their pretension. I don't want to be that cool! Granted, I think they make good coffee, but read the label. They recommend 5oz of water per cup. Most others recommend 6oz of water per cup. Any coffee would be stronger with 17% less water. Of course I don't expect the "In Crowd" to appreciate that they are paying much more per pound and, in addition, getting 20% less yield. That kind of economic evaluation is for the little people, like me. PS, Tully's (French or Expresso) is the best around, and when on sale costs about 1/2 of startbucks.
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