“America Runs on Dunkin’”. We all know this famous catch phrase belonging to the popular breakfast restaurant Dunkin’ Donuts. Everyone has heard it, and everyone knows who it belongs to. One thing is for sure, when looking at social media PR success, Dunkin’ Donuts could not have done a better job!

With countless campaign success stories, the company has significantly increased their fan base and not to mention overall sales. It all started in 2010 when Dunkin’ decided to launch their ‘Create Your Own Donut’ campaign on their website, Facebook, and Twitter accounts. The campaign allowed fans and customers to create their own donut flavor. The top 12 finalist received $1,200 dollars, a years supply of donuts, and a flip camera! The lucky winner received $12,000 and the honor of having their flavor sold in stores for a limited time. I know what you’re thinking – this all seems a bit over the top, but let me tell you, it was ALL worth it in the end. Dunkin’ increased their sales significantly and increased their social media following by an outrageous number (80% on Twitter alone). With over 130,000 submissions, 174,000 votes and 75,000 posts on Facebook, to say they did a good job would be the understatement of the year.

This campaign was only one of many in Dunkin’s scheme to increase their fan base and sales. The company also encouraged their Twitter followers to participate in developing nick names for the brands new ‘Coolatta’ flavors. The best nicknames earned fans $50 in Dunkin’ Donuts gift cards. Their ‘Trivia Tuesdays’ contest earned Dunkin’ Donuts national trending status on Twitter not once, but twice! During the holidays, fans tweeted photo’s of themselves in holiday sweaters for the chance to win gift cards. Dunkin’ Donuts was also the only restaurant to celebrate National Apple Pie Day on Twitter, and offered fans a prize for correctly guessing the types of apples used in their apple pie recipe. With all of these campaigns, it is easy to see why and how the company increased their following on social media by such a large number.

When looking at social media success stories, I don’t think Dunkin’ Donuts could have done it any better. Dunkin’ Donuts is extremely successful in creating online buzz, whether it’s through their website and blog, or social media sites like Facebook and Twitter. Regardless of what platform they use, all of their online marketing has dramatically increased their sales. Any company who is looking to “beef” up their online presence should look to Dunkin’ as an example in excellence of all things social media. As Dunkin’ says, “we don’t own our social media, our fans do”.