Dive Brief:
- Dunkin’ is ringing in the new year with a celebrity collaboration, enlisting pop star Sabrina Carpenter for a limited-time shaken brown sugar espresso beverage and ad campaign, per a press release.
- The marketing effort, “Shake That Ess’,” puns on profanity while nodding to Carpenter’s hit single, “Espresso.” In the ad, Carpenter is complemented on her aptitude for “shakin’ that ess” as she shakes a tumbler full of her signature frothy drink, which features espresso, brown sugar notes and oat milk.
- “Shake That Ess’” was developed with Artists Equity, the production studio founded by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The coffee chain has increasingly relied on celebrity-led partnerships to shore up its brand’s cultural stature.
Dive Insight:
Dunkin’ is capitalizing on Carpenter’s blockbuster 2024 with the launch of Sabrina’s Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso, a limited-time iced beverage inspired by last year’s song of the summer. The rollout is bolstered by an ad campaign that leans into the pop singer’s penchant for racy innuendo and tongue-in-cheek humor.
“Shake That Ess’” is set during a product launch party at a Dunkin’ office where Carpenter notes that she has been “shakin’ that ess’ for hours.” Multiple characters chime in to say that they’re also shakin’ that ess’, including Carpenter’s grandmother, leading the star to belatedly realize that the phrase, meant as shorthand for espresso, actually sounds like a profanity, which is quickly bleeped for censorship purposes.
Dunkin’ initially teased the collaboration on social media with images of a drink featuring Carpenter’s recognizable red kiss mark iconography, generating fan anticipation for the formal reveal on Dec. 31. Dave Meyers directed the spots.
Carpenter’s “Espresso” has provided fodder for other marketers looking to leverage the “Short n' Sweet” artist’s growing cultural footprint . In November, alcohol giant Pernod Ricard tapped the singer for an espresso martini kit, tying a chart-topping song to an in-demand cocktail among Gen Z and millennials.
Linking with an in-vogue celebrity like Carpenter has become a familiar strategy for Dunkin’, which has made a more concentrated push around brand building over the past few years. The chain made its Super Bowl debut in 2023 with commercials starring Ben Affleck, who has since become a larger collaborator, with multiple Dunkin’ campaigns handled by he and Damon’s Artists Equity shop. These efforts, taken together, are part of what the company is calling a "cinematic universe,” echoing a term typically reserved for superhero movie franchises.
Along with the Carpenter ads, Dunkin’ is making a bigger pitch around value to kick off 2025 with a new $5 Meal Deal and additional offers for rewards members available via the brand’s app. Stronger loyalty perks and lower prices continue to be major themes in the restaurant category as brands fight to win over price-conscious consumers.
