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Do Athletes Really Run on Donuts?

10/17/2015

29 Comments

 
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by David Hagenbuch, Founder of Mindful Marketing
It’s Saturday, and you’re watching the marquee college football matchup.  State calls a timeout and onto the field comes the equipment crew ready to reenergize the players: “Who wants cream-filled?”  “How about glazed?”

Of course, it would be crazy to see players eating donuts during the middle of a football game.  Is it also crazy to envision them eating donuts off the field, as they condition for their next contest?  Apparently Dunkin Donuts doesn’t think so.

The iconic purveyor of pastries uses creative cobranding campaigns with a variety of well-known sports teams, placing the team’s trademark in tandem with the Dunkin brand mark.  At times the promotion also involves an adaptation of the firm’s famous tagline, “America Runs on Dunkin.”

I noticed this advertising recently when I picked up a box of Dunkin Donuts, which I like but rarely eat.  It was surprising to see on top of the box a very large Penn State Nittany Lion logo that dwarfed the Dunkin Donuts brand mark above it.  Even more intriguing, however, were the words that appeared below the navy and white lion head: “Penn State Athletics.”  Also, on the box’s front lip were four tiny icons and the tagline, “Nittany Lions Run on Dunkin.”
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Every year athletes seem to become stronger, faster, and better at their sports.  A large part of that improvement is likely due to enhancements in technique and training, i.e., the skills the athletes develop and how they prepare for competition.

Top athletes also appear to be taking more seriously than ever what they eat, even as most of us also are increasingly aware that our physical performance is related to what we ingest.  Penn State is one place where people are paying more attention to player nutrition.  For instance, the University recently launched a Nutritional Health Program for Student Athletes, which gives the school’s 31 athletic teams and 850-plus student athletes “access to healthier and sport-specific meals at fueling stations located in athletic facilities throughout campus.”

Like a car, the mileage we get out of our bodies is at least somewhat dependent on the fuel we put in them.  So what should athletes feed their bodies?  As might be expected, there’s a wide variety of specific recommendations.  However, most experts concur on a balanced diet rich in protein, fiber, and the right kinds of carbohydrates.

In contrast, athletes, and basically everyone, should avoid heavy, regular intake of things like sodium nitrate (used to in preserve lunch meats), fried foods (high in fat and calories), and simple carbohydrates, which include “most baked goods” and “basically anything that contains sugar.”

A Dunkin Donuts Toasted Coconut donut, for instance, contains 420 calories, 24 grams of fat, 47 grams of carbohydrates, and 27 grams of sugar, with just 2 grams of fiber and 4 grams of protein.  For a 20-year-old, highly active male weighing 175 lbs., Penn State Hershey Medical Center suggests a daily diet of 3,226 calories, 108 grams of fat, 484 carbohydrates, and 81 grams of protein.  That means one donut represents 13% of recommended daily calories, 22% of the fat, and 10% of the carbs, and just 5% of the protein.

Of course, athletes and others also should stay well-hydrated.  In terms of beverages, the antioxidants in coffee likely have some health benefits, but there are also negative side effects associated with too much caffeine including nervousness, upset stomach, insomnia, rapid heartbeat, and muscle tremors.  In any case, a large Dunkin Donuts French Vanilla Swirl Iced Coffee with Cream contains 350 calories, 12 grams of fat, 56 grams of carbohydrates, and 48 grams of sugar, without any fiber and just 5 grams of protein.  I’ll let you do the math versus the recommended daily allowances.

You can see where this is going.  From a nutritional and performance perspective, it’s very hard to support that any athlete, or individual for that matter, should “Run on Dunkin.”  To say that a person or a machine “runs on” something means that that thing is their fuel, or primary sustenance.  It's probably fine to have a donut or specialty coffee as an occasional indulgence, or a diet “cheat.”  There may even be some psychological benefits to doing so.  It’s another thing altogether, though, to make high-calorie, high-fat foods a dietary staple.  People don’t run effectively or efficiently on that kind of fuel, especially not serious athletes.  To suggest that they do is deceptive and forwarding a very false association.

But, what’s the big deal?  Is anyone really impacted by this “playful promotion”?  Such advertising would be less problematic if it were isolated, but it’s not.  Unfortunately, it’s easy to find examples of top athletes endorsing foods that they obviously don’t regularly eat.  For instance, in a recent interview on ESPN, mixed martial artist Rhonda Rousey described the great dietary control she exercises; however, she shows no such restraint in a TV commercial for Carl’s Jr. in which clips of her obliterating a Cinnamon Swirl French Toast Breakfast Sandwich are interspersed with ones of her destroying opponents. 

Similarly, cameras caught LeBron James in an awkward contradiction when he suggested that one key to performing at a high level while growing older was giving up meals at McDonald’s, which until very recently he has endorsed.  The fast food giant and the King have since parted company.

It’s the aggregation of disingenuous endorsements like these that start to lead people to believe that it doesn’t matter what you eat.  Such impact is particularly troubling when one considers this country’s obesity epidemic and the tremendous influence that athletes have on our children, especially their food choices, as a 2013 study in Pediatrics found.

Dunkin Donuts is likely selling more Chocolate Long Johns and Caramel Iced Coffee thanks to its promotional partnership with Penn State, and the university probably benefits from the advertising exposure.  Likewise, thousands of PSU fans undoubtedly enjoy carrying home donuts with a Penn State Athletics emblem on the box.  To further propagate the myth that elite athletes can eat anything, however, is deceptive and unfair, especially to aspiring and impressionable young athletes.  Consequently, "Nittany Lions Run on Dunkin" represents another example of "Single-Minded Marketing."

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29 Comments
Allison Curtin
10/22/2015 12:35:34 am

This blog is extremely well written. The content echoes and justifies a lot of my own thoughts when watching commercials that are deceptive in their content. Such commercials as the "Penn State Runs on Dunkin" or Roussey's Carls Jr. advertisement is obviously incorrect. And that is why I, as a consumer, do not connect. I, like many in my generation, am definitely health conscience and readily aware of where my nutrients comes from. Ads that seem to assume that elite athletes feed their body junk food are undermining their audience and devaluing their education of health and care for their bodies. Any educated viewer would immediately identify that elite football players do not easily and constantly consumer donuts, and thus the only impact the ad has is one of mild entertainment. That is single minded because it leaves the audience lacking. The mindful commercials have substance and value and allow a connection while getting their product known. Such single minded ad campaigns that devalue health, fitness, and educated viewers is definitely lacking. I thoroughly agree with the blog.

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Skye Cornell
10/24/2015 05:47:48 pm

This article caught my attention because when I used to play soccer in high school my favorite pre-game snack was at least one or two doughnuts. Arguably my high school soccer team did not require me to count calories or really think about what I ate. Outside of my personal example I would argue that this example could even be mindless. I think that when most people see athlete endorsements of fast food restaurants they don't believe that an athlete can be eating those things and still not feeling sick during a game. This makes the advertisement and as a result the company seem goofy, illogical and in some ways not a credible organization. I would like to see how these advertisements affected profits.

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Morgan Carr
10/24/2015 07:42:40 pm

To me, this ad also seems mindless because I think that it is common knowledge to know that fast food is not a part of a collegiate althlete's diet. I feel like this campaign would only be successful if their goal was to target those of the students. I don't think that an average doughnut consumer would choose to go to Dunkin' Donuts because they see that a certain athletic program sponsors them. I also don't think that someone will think that if an athletic organization is sponsored by Dunkin' that it means that is all the team eats.

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Stephen Joffer
10/25/2015 06:39:57 pm

This is an interesting conundrum that I had not considered when looking at marketing a brand. I think it is smart for Dunkin Doughnuts to do this marketing campaign. This change of brand image is advantageous for them in order to follow the trends of society. However, I agree that it is simple minded. The brand association should come with different changes within the store to warrant such endorsements. Such as a healthier option on the menu.

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Hannah J
10/25/2015 07:07:48 pm

Marketing a doughnut as an athletes fuel used emotional appeal to draw in customers. When the audience of the commercials and Dunkin Donuts advertisements see an association between a food and sport, the assumption is that the food is advantageous to athletic performance. While the ad might not be mindful, it does appeal to some of the audience. I am wondering whether this works, or if the donut company is wasting it's advertising dollars by falsely representing Dunkin Donuts through an athletic channel. When I see athletes or teams represent "unhealthy" foods, I often think the advertising company is ridiculous for doing so and lose respect for a company. If this is the overall response from the audience, then the donut company is not only mindlessly representing athletes unfairly, but damaging their companies image.

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Marcy Miranda
10/25/2015 11:41:25 pm

The first thing that caught my attention about this post was the title. Of course athletes do not run on donuts. It is common sense to know that donuts do not offer our bodies the nutrients it needs, but instead are only a source of empty calories. It seemed so ironic to me to learn that Penn State has programs promoting nutrition, yet they decided to partner with Dunkin Donuts. Penn State is definitely contradicting itself and only because of the money they are making through this partnership. I completely agreed with the statement that if a person “runs on” something, then that thing should be considered their primary sustenance. Obviously, donuts and coffee are not something people literally run on. Dunkin Donuts uses that phrase because people like to go on donut and coffee runs each morning before school or work, but that is not the primary source of daily fuel intake. I agree that campaigns such as this one where athletes promote a food they don’t normally consume is deceptive. I couldn’t agree more with the Mindful Meter that this situation is considered single-minded.

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True Tamplin
10/26/2015 12:44:50 pm

I appreciate Dunkin Donuts' clever efforts in trying to grab this new market, but I believe it is unrealistic for them to actually gain a part of the athletics markets. Knowing that the audience of athletics often idolize the athletes they are watching and if one is able to make the viewers of athletics believe that the athletes are consuming something, perhaps their strategy may be in trying to get the viewers of athletics to consume their donuts rather than the athletes themselves. I have had the opportunity to speak with several professional athletes, and although they have the reputation of being stupid, they are certainly not stupid when it comes to their nutrition and sport. I believe Penn State is compromising its values and am in complete agreement with the mindful meter saying that this promotional campaign is completely single-minded.

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Elijah Wadley
10/26/2015 01:50:30 pm

This is a very intriguing blog post because it's not something I consider often. When I see a commercial like that I would never take it seriously because it seems clear that donuts are not what fuels a professional athlete. However, I see how with all of these college sports teams and professional athletes supporting certain fast food products that it could fool people on false pretences. America needs to hear valid information about nutrition and health because obesity is such a widespread issue and these ads are only going to increase this problem. This is a very well written post and very eye opening.

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Paul Chung
10/26/2015 03:06:48 pm

This article was very interesting and provided a lot of new and insightful information. Before reading this article, I was not aware that Dunkin Donuts were endorsing athletes are targeting them as well. I think that this type of marketing is not very effective because it is somewhat obvious that donuts are not a practical type of meal or food for anyone especially athletes. Although athletes need to watch what they eat as well as pay particular attention to their macronutrients (fats, carbs, and protein) eating a donut that contains that much sugar is not very practical. I can see and understand what Dunkin Donuts are trying to do by emphasizing that even athletes eat donuts, but this misrepresents what is considered a healthy and not.

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Doug
10/26/2015 05:10:44 pm

The article was very insightful. It argued against marketing for a company which one would not endorse. Lebron James would not eat McDonalds which should be clear to an average person. Someone should now what they are putting in their body. It is important to not be negligent when considering what to put in your body.

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Serena Letwinch
10/26/2015 05:34:58 pm

I definitely agree with this post. Hagenbuch takes a standpoint that is refreshing to read and causes the audience to question the morality of different campaigns, especially ones that influence our generation. I understand the stakeholder value in this marketing strategy and the opportunity for student at Penn to "represent" their school by buying a product that is endorsed by it, but the angle in which Dunkin Donuts takes is deceiving. They should strive towards more mindful campaigns.

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Brandon Berz
10/26/2015 10:18:40 pm

This post discusses a very talked about subject in marketing today. Where is the boundary in producing ads that entice the customer but also reflect honesty. It is pretty obvious any serious athlete does not live off of Dunkin Donuts or other fast food establishments. Thus, I don't really think the marketer is to blame. It is the marketers job to draw the most excitement and possible consumers consumers to their product. When talking about ethical concerns, I think it should all fall of the one endorsing the product. I think it makes Penn State look un-classy by having Dunkin Donuts as their main sponsor. I think it makes pro athletes look unprofessional when endorsing that they eat at fast food restaurants as their diet. Therefore, I think in these cases the marketer is just doing their job.

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luke Webster
10/26/2015 10:39:01 pm

This blog I think discusses a humorous commercial in a serious analysis. I think if we were to analyze all food endorsement then half of the endorsements that exist with athletes would not be mindful. Yet with that said I don't think we should not critic endorsement commercial yet I think the issue is widespread and not specific. Ranging from McDonalds to Dunkin Donuts, hundreds of companies use endorsements and specific advertising to target certain markets. Such as fast-food companies targeting children meals or "healthy" meals.

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Timmy McIntosh
10/26/2015 10:51:38 pm

Well written post. This issue is becoming more and more talked about. I think that if we were really to analyze eery food endorsement there is that contains an athlete or a sports team, a large majority of them would not be mindful. The fact of the matter is that eating healthy is one of the keys to performing well on the sports field. I liked the analogy of a car that was used "you get out in performance what you put in for fuel." Most food places aren't serving the kinds of food that are going to provide athletes with peak performance on the field so I say why analyze it. I am just proud of Dunkin' Doughnuts for trying to reach out to different markets.

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Haley Baker
10/26/2015 10:55:25 pm

I thought this was a very interesting look at a slightly controversial ad. This ad is slightly deceiving as most collegiate athletes and professional athletes have a regimented and strict training diet, so the Penn State Nittany Lions probably don't "Run on Dunkin". While there might be value in a marketing campaign for Dunkin, such as the student support, or the Penn State fan support, it ends up being a mindless ad.

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James Y
10/26/2015 11:31:15 pm

This was an interesting article for me because I try to stay fit and workout as much as possible. I believe it is possible to fit donuts into your diet if you count your macros (calories) appropriately. Even though there are other healthier sources of food, if you have a fast metabolism and an ectomorph, a donut wouldn't hurt!

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Rawley Hughes
10/27/2015 03:57:06 am

Before I agree with you, I need to throw out one piece of information. Speaking as a current college athlete (not at Penn State, but still a college athlete), I can tell you that we don't count calories on off days.
However, this is single-minded advertising. All these different forms of junk food are not healthy, but we don't like to think we are eating unhealthy food. If we have healthy people endorse it, we believe it is healthy. This is a lie, or at the very least a form of deception, that many companies use, and it's wrong.

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Jonathan Chappell
10/27/2015 04:16:18 pm

I found this article to be very eye opening. When I watch these commercials, I don't honestly take them for seriousness. I actually see them as jokes, things to make me laugh at. I wouldn't honestly see the ad as a way to make me laugh and a take on the catchline of Dunkin doughnuts. However, I see now that not everyone sees the world as I do and that some people honestly think that doughnuts is what the athletes truly eat.

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Tanner Beukelman
10/27/2015 07:18:21 pm

I found this article be very intriguing. I really haven't ever thought about what is actually represented when a fast-food company uses a star athlete. In high school when I played sports and saw LeBron advertising for McDonalds, I knew that thats really not how he got to be where he was athletically. However, after reading this article, I can see how this is single minded advertising. It was a very interesting article that put a whole new perspective into my mind about this topic.

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Brandon Porter
10/27/2015 07:34:44 pm

I completely agree with this article. It is definitely single-minded. It is no mystery that elite athletes cannot eat donuts regularly while simultaneously performing at the level they do. Although I'm sure their metabolism levels are extremely high, a consistent sugar intake of that amount would surely affect performance. It's sad to think that Dunkin Donuts is ok with fooling the consumer into thinking donuts are an acceptable part of a diet when our country is facing a pressing obesity epidemic. Overall, I thought this was a great analysis of this issue.

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Terri V
10/27/2015 09:44:09 pm

I definitely agree with this rating of being single minded. As a college athlete, I can relate to this sort of false advertising. On our field, we have a banner from our sponsor Coca-Cola. Realistically, you will not find an athlete drinking soda during a game. However, our school gains money by advertising for them. The advertisements could possibly influence the fans to purchase their products or maybe an athlete to choose Powerade over Gatorade, thus creating stockholder value. However, it does not promote the well-being of these athletic programs.

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Ryan Urastu
10/29/2015 03:12:25 am

While I agree that the advertisement is single minded, I don't share the same passion to see Dunkin's advertisement taken down. I was actually quite entertained by the thought of athletes in desperate need to eat a donut. I am unconvinced that the majority of the population could possibly believe that athletes "runs on Dunkin" and thus affect the population's eating habits. I do see how Dunkin could raise stakeholder value by increasing awareness of their donuts. As a matter of fact, I kind of want to eat a donut right now (as my dorm-mates leave to get Dunkin Donuts for a late-night snack).

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Ruben P
10/29/2015 04:18:06 am

Although I do feel like having a "Dunkin Donuts" and a Penn State Athletics logos sharing the same space, it may be a brilliant, (while still single-minded) strategy of marketing. Many sport fans enjoy snacking on something or other during games, or even for as a fun treat. Even though it may be slightly contradictive, associating donuts with sports is what I believe the marketers were going for here. It is easy to denounce how bad donuts are for you, but when was the last time someone ate a donut while sad. No matter how bad donuts are for people, the regular consumer will continue eating them and this a single-minded marketing plan to promote themselves.

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Bradley Fallentine
10/29/2015 06:45:45 pm

I do agree that this form of advertisement is single minded, but I do think it is a smart move for Dunkin Donuts. Pairing together athletics and donuts seems to be a strange combination, but it could prove effective. Yes athletes do watch what they eat, but who is to say they do not enjoy a post game donut? I know Dunkin Donuts has also built up their brand of coffee, so this advertising could help further expand that market as well.

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Daniel Martinez
10/30/2015 02:20:56 am

I wish I had the access to healthy food and nutritionist like some of these student athletes have. I currently play collegiate soccer and believe if we had a better nutrition program we would be able to push our bodies to do a bit more. I would definitely agree that this advertisement was single minded. This reminds me of when McDonalds sponsors the olympics, it's ironic in a sense.

Overall I feel the author made some good points and might even make me reconsider the importance of a healthy diet.

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Joshua Douglass
10/30/2015 01:50:09 pm

While I do agree that we should be mindful of what we put into our bodies and all, I understand where Dunkin' Donuts is coming from. As a business, sometimes you realize that you are not reaching a certain market (example: athletes), at least making an effort to reach out to that market shows that you are dedicated to seeing your product grow.

All in all, I would agree that the article is somewhat single-minded, however, I can see where they would feel this way.

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Ryan Andrews
10/30/2015 02:34:34 pm

This blog is suggesting that elite athletes run on dunking donuts which is untrue. The Dunkin Donuts Toasted coconut donut consist of 420 calories and 24 grams of fat. Now when you think elite athletes from division 1 colleges are going to eat that kind of food before or during a game then you have to be crazy. They are saying that professional athlete like Lebron James use to endorse Mcdonald's, but he does endorse them anymore. Instead of athletes eating donuts which I assume they don't a lot of foods like that they should eat more healthier foods like celery and peanut butter and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

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Sakura Tantzen
10/30/2015 07:58:33 pm

I found this blog to be very interesting, as I immediately got the notion from reading the title that some company was trying to advertise athletes eating donuts for fuel. I think Dunkin’s “America Runs on Dunkin” tagline seems very ludicrous as it tries to convince its consumers that Athletes are able to achieve their successes and be more energized off of eating donuts. In reality, however, many athletes have nutritionists who advise them to eat healthy foods in order to fuel their bodies, rather than eating donuts which will make them crash and have no nutritional value. I thus agree that this is single-minded marketing, as it does not uphold societal values of health and nutrition, but could possibly create stakeholder value.

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Eugene Shin
11/1/2015 02:12:14 am

This article caught my eyes because being a student-athlete, I felt it was somewhat connected to me. To me personally, donuts are something I eat either when I had a long week of weights, practices, and condition and I am going to get a two day rest or my season is over and I could bulk. In other words, donuts are a no in my attempt for a healthy diet (college student only got so much money to eat healthy). Also, it did not surprise me when they talked about Penn State athletics advertising their athletic program at a Dunkin Donut because I feel they need every opportunity to get their name out there again. I remembered before Penn State got the penalty on their football program, they were a powerhouse. Now I am surprised if they have fans come out because it seems like they don't even have a football team anymore. I remember a time when people say Penn State, they instantly thought football. Now a days if you hear Penn State (well me personally) you think about the fines and program being destroyed.

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