• by Wendy Davis  @wendyndavis, July 21, 2006

Signaling its intention to ramp up online marketing efforts, Dunkin' Brands, Inc. said Thursday that it is seeking a single agency for all of the company's digital marketing initiatives across its three brands, Dunkin' Donuts, Baskin Robbins, and Togo's.

Previously, Dunkin' Brands' three divisions worked with an assortment of different shops for digital marketing efforts, said Lois Kelly of Foghound Corporation, which is consulting on the search.

Dunkin' Brands is looking for a shop with experience in handling large retail brands that can develop a comprehensive digital marketing strategy, Kelly said. "Digital marketing is becoming a more and more important part of the marketing mix, and [Dunkin' Brands] wants to work with a leading firm," Kelly said. She added that Dunkin' Brands is seeking one agency to handle strategy, creative work, and also back-end operations--including e-commerce engines, analytics, and databases.

The agency search is another sign that Dunkin' Brands, acquired in April by a consortium of three private equity firms, is looking to raise its profile through marketing. One month after the change in ownership, the company embarked on a widescale TV ad campaign, which was handled by Hill Holliday in Boston, Dunkin' Brands' agency of record for traditional marketing.

All of the digital shops that have worked with Dunkin' Brands were invited to participate in the search process, Kelly said. The company intends to whittle down the candidates by the beginning of August, and to select an agency by October.