Yep, Dunkin' Donuts, the chain I love to love and love to criticize, has partnered with Harpoon Brewery to bring us Harpoon Dunkin' Coffee Porter.
I just don't know. On the one hand, coffee porters and coffee stout have been around a long time, and many people find them quite tasty. On the other hand, Dunkin' Donuts (I'm refusing to drop the Donuts part) is about a step above Chuck E. Cheese's in mature chain brands, and I don't see this is a good match. I've busted on DD for partnering with Pop-Tarts and Oreos and Peeps, products that bring out the kid and the amalgam-filled sweet tooth in us all. Those are a good match, though, for a chain that sells sweets. Beer? I think Harpoon would have been better off teaming up with a non-fun brand like Caribou Coffee. Maybe someone's already tried it.
As addiction and alcoholism continue to take a breathtaking toll on society, we make it culturally easier for people to get whacked. The legalization of drugs continues apace, damn the torpedoes. The access to and advertising of hard liquor makes drinking look more attractive and apparently harmless. As does branding family-level shops with alcohol.
Perhaps we will next see Absolut Dunkin' Vodka? Absolut makes plenty of flavored vodkas but not coffee yet. Opportunity! Maybe Dunkin' Jack Daniels? JD has started coming out with weird flavors that only a child would like. It's a short step from their cinnamon-flavored Jack Daniels Fire and teen-friendly Country Cocktails to Dunkin' Daniels.
Of course, this is all leading to Dunkin' Choom -- marijuana and munchie all in one!
You laugh now, but Dunkin' beer would have seemed like an impossible joke ten years ago. These days everything bad starts out as a joke.
No comments:
Post a Comment