• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, June 22, 2009

Dunkin' Donuts has launched DunkinRun.com, an iPhone application designed to make it easier to coordinate those group-order "Dunkin runs" at the office and parties.

The designated "runner" can now initiate a group order through the site via computer, mobile device or a free iPhone app downloaded from the iTunes Store. The runner sends an interactive alert to a list of co-workers or friends, telling them when a trip to Dunkin' is planned and inviting them to place an order online. Invitees can view the Dunkin' menu online to order (registered site users may also select from their personal lists of favorites or previous orders). Core menu items are presented using interactive product images designed to make ordering easy and fun.

The orders are integrated onto a single page/screen. The runner may then either print out the list and give it to the Dunkin' store staff to help them fill the order quickly and accurately, or let them view the list on a mobile device.

"Our brand filters everything through the lens of helping to keep busy people going. The Dunkin' run is an existing activity; we just wanted to use technology to make it easier, more efficient and more viral," Cynthia Ashworth, vice president of consumer engagement, told Marketing Daily.

The site was a joint collaboration of Hill Holliday and Studiocom, Dunkin's agencies of record for advertising and digital, respectively. Hill came up with the concept two years ago, and with the "explosion" of social media and the iPhone, Dunkin' felt the time was right to begin developing it early this year, according to Ashworth.

To get the word out about the site, Dunkin' is engaged in heavy PR outreach to influential press and bloggers, and customers who are heavy users of its loyalty cards are being mailed special preloaded cards. The marketing plan also includes radio promotions and advertising, online advertising, messages integrated into Dunkin's sponsorship of the Boston Red Sox, and advertising in elevators in key office buildings in Boston (where Dunkin' has its highest concentration of locations), Ashworth reports.

While the site currently doesn't allow for sending orders in advance to be filled and ready for pick-up, Dunkin' will consider taking it that step further in a future iteration, she says.