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ewasko@a-g.com
Stow, Massachusetts isn’t a big town. About 7,000 people, 30 miles outside of Boston. And for a while, it didn’t have a Dunkin’.
That turned into a much bigger deal than anyone would have expected.
In 2022, a local reporter, WBZ NewsRadio's Matt Shearer, covered what he called the “Dunkin’ Desert,” and the story took off. It spread well beyond the town, picked up national attention, and put a spotlight on a place most people wouldn’t have thought about otherwise.
So when Dunkin’ came back to Stow, it couldn’t feel like a typical opening. It needed to show up in a way that actually meant something to the people who lived there and the fans who followed the story.
We picked up the story where it left off. The same reporter who helped make the “Dunkin’ Desert” a viral story came back to break the news that Dunkin’ was returning, bringing that same audience back into it and giving the moment a sense of continuity.
From there, it started to take shape at the local level.
We petitioned the town to change its name in celebration. They said yes! For one day, on Opening Day, Stow would officially become “Dunkin’.” Local officials got involved. People in town leaned into it because it felt like their story.
By the time opening day arrived, people were already paying attention.
They showed up in the middle of the night. Lines wrapped around the building. Dunkin' and the town of Stow changed the road signs. The turnout reflected how much the story had built over time. Sales reached 150% above normal on opening day, and traffic stayed 25% higher than average for the following two weeks.
Everything around the experience tied back to what people already knew. The store included references to the “Dunkin’ Desert,” along with limited items created for the opening. Local leaders, Dunkin’ teams, the community, and of course, Matt, were all part of the day.
The story didn’t stay local.
The story drove regional and national coverage, generating over 307 placements, 100M+ impressions, and reached audiences across the country, including USA Today.
For a day, Stow showed up as “Dunkin’” on Apple Maps, turning a small-town opening into something people across the country were talking about.
Though fans were only able to visit the town of Dunkin', MA for one day, this campaign reimagined what a standard PR tactic like a ribbon cutting could be, proving what's possible when you blend earned media, the power of influencers, and the connection built through experiential marketing. “Now Entering: Dunkin’ MA” was an experience that surpassed regional expectations, achieving national visibility and permanently cemented the brand's place in Massachusetts culture — proving we paid attention to community lore, reminding fans of the brand’s sense of humor, and establishing that Dunkin' is literally synonymous with New England.
