Happy 'BirthDDay' to You: Dunkin' Donuts Unwraps New Birthday Perk - A Free Beverage on Your Special Day

CANTON, Mass., May 4 /PRNewswire/ -- In honor of Dunkin' Donuts' 60th "BirthDDay," the brand has a new special offer that will perk up anyone's birthday.  Dunkin' Donuts, America's all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, today launched the Dunkin' Donuts Birthday Perk, in which all members of the Dunkin' Perks® program will receive a coupon in the mail during their birthday month, good for a free medium beverage* of their choice, including any iced or hot coffee, tea, latte, hot chocolate or Coolatta® slush drink. For an added bonus, starting in May, when new guests enroll in DD Perks®, Dunkin' Donuts will mail new members a coupon for another free medium beverage*.

The Dunkin' Perks® program provides members exclusive in-store and online offers, as well as the inside scoop on new menu items, new restaurant openings and all the latest Dunkin' Donuts news. Enrollment is free at www.DunkinDonuts.com/Perks. To be eligible for the Birthday Perk, current DD Perks® members must update their profile with their birthday information.

While a free beverage can help brew a brighter birthday, what are some other favorite birthday perks? To find out, in April Dunkin' Donuts conducted a survey of more than 500 people to discover what people enjoy most and least on their birthday. According to the results:

• What's your favorite birthday perk? Forget the present or the cake. 63% of people said they enjoy celebrating their birthday most when their spouse, kids, family or friends do something special for them.  Only 22% said opening presents makes a birthday special, and only 11% cited birthday cake as their favorite birthday perk.
• Singing "Happy Birthday To You" doesn't make a birthday happy. 37% of people said that having people sing "Happy Birthday To You" is their least favorite part of their special day.
• Retailers, a happy birthday is on you. The most wanted "unexpected birthday perk" would be receiving something free from their favorite store or restaurant (29%), followed by a surprise party (20%) or surprise visit from an out-of-town friend or family member (20%).
• Bosses, let them eat cake! People enjoy a cake break to recognize a colleague's birthday, as 70% of respondents believe that birthdays should be celebrated in the workplace.
• Celebrate your birthday proudly! Not many of us try to hide our birthday or forgo any recognition of the day, as 80% of people admit that they enjoy celebrating their birthdays.

According to John Costello, Chief Global Customer and Marketing Officer at Dunkin' Brands, Dunkin' Donuts' new Birthday Perk is an opportunity to thank Dunkin' Donuts guests for their loyalty and passion for the brand. "As we honor our own 60th birthday, we wanted to show our appreciation for our guests who make us a part of their everyday routine. With our new Birthday Perk, guests enjoy a special treat from Dunkin' Donuts on their special day," he said.

Dunkin' Donuts is the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world, selling one billion cups of hot and iced coffee and more than 900 million donuts and Munchkins™ donut hole treats every year. Today, there are more than 6,500 restaurants in 35 U.S. states and the District of Columbia and more than 2,600 international restaurants in 30 countries.

*Cooler beverages are excluded.

About Dunkin' Donuts

Founded in 1950, Dunkin' Donuts is America's favorite every day, all-day stop for coffee and baked goods. Dunkin' Donuts is a market leader in the regular/decaf coffee, iced coffee, hot flavored coffee, donut, bagel and muffin categories, and the largest coffee and baked goods chain in the world. Dunkin' Donuts has earned the No. 1 ranking for customer loyalty in the coffee category by Brand Keys for four years running. The company has more than 9,000 restaurants in 31 countries worldwide. In 2009, Dunkin' Donuts' global system-wide sales were $5.7 billion. Based in Canton, Massachusetts, Dunkin' Donuts is a subsidiary of Dunkin' Brands, Inc. For more information, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com.

Project Summary

Burson-Marstellar conducted a quantitative online flash poll among 500 members of the general population who are 18-49, representative of the U.S. population.  The poll was conducted April 20-21, 2010 to examine opinions towards birthdays and birthday "perks." The margin of error for the overall audience is +/-4.38% and larger for sub-groups.

SOURCE Dunkin' Donuts