I can’t even remember all the other things I wanted to write about this week.
All I can think about Krispy Kreme.
You might have heard the news:
Show a COVID vaccination card, get a doughnut. Every day this year.
This. Is. Nuts.
I’m trying to think of a marketing stunt that isn’t just this polarizing — it’s one that polarized me.
Could the brand do it?
Apparently so.
Should the brand do it?
Maybe not.
Are there risks to the brand?
Absolutely.
Are there risks to the brands’ consumers?
They’re arguably not more than the usual risks of eating a doughnut, but adding another 250 to 400 sugar and fat calories to one’s daily diet could be harmful, especially if those are in addition to one’s normal intake.
During the weekly Salon this week featuring Prophet’s Mat Zucker, author of Bronze Seeks Silver, I couldn’t wait to get the take from him and other attendees about it. The reactions spanned the gamut, giving teeth to the old saying, “If you get 10 marketers in a room, you get 11 opinions.”
I actually don’t know if anyone ever did say that about marketers. We can run with it.
One attendee said the stunt was irresponsible due to obesity being a leading complicating factor for COVID. They shared a tweet from this Tufts Dean of Nutrition Sciences saying this indicates “the ridiculous state of affairs of our food system.”
Another member struck a libertarian tone. People eat doughnuts. People could use a treat, especially these days. It’s no big deal and a smart hook.
Another person forgot that Krispy Kreme was still around and predicted that this would drive people to the stores.
I didn’t forget Krispy Kreme was around. Last summer, Krispy Kreme opened a new flagship store in Times Square.
I had dinner with a friend in Hell’s Kitchen a few weeks ago. After the Indian food, I was craving something sweet (I should have gotten the gulab jamun). Walking back home, I was passing by the new Krispy Kreme and walked in.
I pointed to a doughnut smeared with shiny, red glaze and shaped like an apple, and he said, “You know that’s an $11 doughnut?” Loving that New York City humor, I said, “Damn, I was hoping for a $15 doughnut.”
I didn’t realize he was serious until I looked it up when I got home. It tasted like $0.79.
Even knowing this, you will still go in there and ask them for the $11 doughnut.
The $11 is not part of the promo; the free doughnuts are the original glazed. Those taste much better anyway.
The cashier also asked if I was local and what my sign was. New Yorkers sure are getting friendly these days. The last time a guy hit on me was at a certain agency’s holiday party. More friendliness is good in my book, but I can’t always tell what’s going on.
I’m not good at making sense of this vaccine promo either.
Would you greenlight this stunt?
I’d like to think that if I was in a position to bless or kill this promo, I’d kill it but offer a caveat.
The press release noted that beyond offering a free doughnut anytime or even every day through 2021, Krispy Kreme will “support health care workers and volunteers who are helping administer vaccines, delivering free doughnuts to select vaccination centers throughout the country in the coming weeks.” Krispy Kreme employees will also get four hours of paid time off for their vaccinations.
What I’d have done with this plan is scrap the consumer angle of offering doughnuts to people showing vaccine cards. It’s the wrong brand for it. Even Dunkin’ Donuts — I mean Dunkin’ — could offer free coffee and get away with it. Krispy Kreme is a brand with a two-word name where each word describes a different form of fat. This is the wrong poster-child for vaccination when having a high body mass index (BMI) is a qualifying condition for many people to get the vaccine sooner.
Krispy Kreme can emphasize spreading joy though. People are routinely delivering doughnuts and other treats to vaccine center staff. To that end, Krispy Kreme could make a more tangible claim – “We’ll deliver 500,000 doughnuts over the next 100 days” or “We will deliver doughnuts every day in April to workers at each of 1,000 vaccine centers.”
The retailer could also set a better standard for its employees.
I got the first dose of the vaccine this past Saturday — Pfizer, if you’re curious (everyone is curious). I was fine. When a friend asked how I felt, I told her, “I feel like I could lift a car.” Adrenaline was surging that day. My arm was slightly sore Sunday for a couple hours. I got lucky.
A family member also got their dose Saturday and was run down for a couple hours. They went to the gym the next morning and then got hit even harder the next day. They’re fine too now. Acknowledging that everyone reacts differently to the vaccines but that the main priority is getting everyone the vaccine and achieving herd immunity, Krispy Kreme could offer two days’ worth of PTO for their shift workers.
All of that would still achieve a ton of press and generate goodwill. Other companies would likely follow suit, and Krispy Kreme would get the follow-up press as the brand that started the trend. Some brands might even try to outdo each other in how much they’d support health care staff and their own employees.
As for whether Krispy Kreme’s stunt is effective, it probably will be. For all the press they got and for the margins on a bit of flour, sugar, and oil (sweetened fat fried in fat, drizzled with fattened sweetness), I’d bet they come out well ahead on this deal.
If you worked on this campaign, it’s still a brilliant idea. If you did the PR, you’re masterful. If you’re on the brand side, I get it.
When this winds up on both the “best of 2021” and “worst of 2021” award lists this December, they’ll get some added boost as people rush in to claim their doughnuts.
I’ll even go in soon to flash my card and claim mine.
I just won’t buy a second for $11.
Well, not unless the guy working behind the counter charms me into buying another.
What’s your take on this one? Would you greenlight it? And will you be claiming your free doughnut?
If you’re in Manhattan, I’ll even claim one with you, especially in a month after my second dose kicks in.
Then we get go to Sweetgreen, flash our vax cards, and see if we can get an extra hit of kale.
David
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