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Dunkin' Donuts thinks it's time to make doughnuts a priority again

Tribune file photo by CLIFF MCBRIDE

Dunkin' Donuts focuses new marketing campaign on its signature comfort food: doughnuts, of course.

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By RICHARD MULLINS | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 22, 2009

Get ready to hear a lot more about sweet, tasty doughnuts.

Sensing a shift in America's mood due to the economy, Dunkin' Donuts is launching the biggest marketing push for doughnuts since the company's iconic 1979 campaign, "Time to Make the Donuts."

That's a shift from the past few years when Dunkin' relentlessly marketed its premium coffees, gourmet sandwiches -- anything but its legacy product, doughnuts.

A privately held company, Dunkin' Brands Inc. won't say how many dollars they're spending on new advertising, but company officials have a new theme: "Doughnuts are the new cupcakes."

The anti-carb diet craze seems to have evaporated, and "during tough times, people want to have little indulgences," sad Cynthia Ashworth, vice president of consumer engagement at Dunkin'. She's noticed consumer data showing an uptick in sales of simple pleasures like lipstick and candy.

Dunkin' is pushing its franchise locations to stock more varieties in displays behind the cash register, plus launching a slew of donut-design contests, promotions and advertising.

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