Dunkin? Donuts is letting coffee lovers customize their favorite hot and iced beverages through a mobile initiative the company is promoting on its Facebook page.

The Dunkin? Donuts mobile ads use rich media and HTML5 to let users customize their perfect drink. The Dunkin? Donuts initiative ran on March 29, and the company is working with Celtra?s Rich Media Posts product to power the campaign.

?Dunkin? Donuts is always looking to engage with our Facebook fans in a way that is both fun and engaging,? said Scott Hudler, vice president of global consumer engagement for Dunkin' Brands, Canton, MA.

?We specifically designed our 'Dunkin' Coffee Customizer' Rich Media Post to appeal to our fans who access Facebook through their mobile devices,? he said.

?Our Facebook fans like to share what they are drinking, so we felt that they would enjoy the interactive ?Dunkin' Coffee Customizer,? which allows them to build their favorite coffee beverage through their mobile device.?

Dunkin? Brands includes both Dunkin? Donuts and Baskin-Robbins.

Hill Holliday is the agency on record for Dunkin' Donuts. 

Customized coffee
The Celtra-powered ads are not affiliated with Facebook and appear as a simple post on a brand?s Facebook pages.

The mobile ad appeared as a post on Dunkin? Donuts Facebook wall and encouraged users to share their favorite drink by tapping on a link that led to a mobile landing page.

Users who accessed the site via a desktop were prompted to enter the site http://dun.kn/DDMYCOFFEE into their mobile browsers to build their coffee concoction.

If accessed from a tablet or smartphone, the mobile site directs users to flip their device horizontally.

Users can then build their ideal coffee from scratch with either a hot or cold coffee or latte.

The mobile site walks consumers through the process of making a coffee by letting them choose from either decaf or regular coffee, flavor additions, milk, sweetener and espresso shots.

A virtual coffee cup on the side of the screen shows users where they are in the process of crafting their coffee.

Once users finish making their perfect coffee, they can share their creation by posting it on their Facebook wall.

Users can share their drinks on their Facebook walls

Mobile social connection
Dunkin? Donuts has been doing a lot to build its social mobile strategy.

For example, last year users who checked-in to participating Dunkin? Donuts locations via either Facebook Places or foursquare could win prizes (see story).

Mr. Hudler did not comment on if Dunkin? Donuts will continue to use the Rich Media Posts in the future.

However, the ads are a great example of how brands can increase their social media strategy by taking advantage of mobile users to create a rich advertisement.

Social media is inherently mobile and brands are increasingly looking for ways to bring the two together to give consumers a valuable piece of content that cannot be accessed elsewhere.

?With over six million fans on Facebook, it is important for us to always be evaluating new opportunities to engage with our fans,? Mr. Hudler said.

?Leveraging the ?Dunkin' Coffee Customizer? for mobile users is one of many ways we are interacting with fans in a way that is fun and celebrates their loyalty and how they are running on Dunkin?,? he said.

"Just as we are committed to seeking new and innovative ways to delivering a great value to our guests in our restaurants, we remain focused on delivering a best-in-class social media experience of our fans."

Final Take
Lauren Johnson is editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York