Following a question, Dunkin's Frances Allen noted that her company is fortunate in that its customers are "down to earth, hard working people" so that what they say about the brand is not easily twisted. "We can no longer think of ourselves as brand guardians," she said. "We are stewards. Nothing we can do about it. It's a liberating thing."

Nick Brien got his OMMA Global keynote off this morning with a bit of a sound effect. And I will say, it had a pronounced affect â€" on me. Made me cringe, actually. The sound, was the audio of a circa 1990s dial-up modem connecting online. (Makes my nerves jitter just to rethink about it.) “Who remembers that sound,” Brien boomed. Surprisingly, he was greeted by applause, but I suspect that has more to do with nostalgia, than a romantic recollection about modem sounds. “I for one remember that sound, fondly, how long it took, and the …

"In the end you can't control it, that's the beauty and the power of social media, means that marketers have to let go ... a little."--Dunkin' Donuts' Frances Allen As a journalist, it's interesting to hear brand chiefs recognize a lack of control over what people say about brands.

In conclusion, Dunkin’ Donuts brand chief Frances Allen said marketers like her are no longer in charge of their brands â€" their consumers are. “Customers will decide what our brand is about. And there is nothing we can do about it. And that is a very liberating thing,” she said, adding. “In the end, you can’t control it. And that’s the beauty of social media.” “And that means marketers have to let go â€" a little,” she concluded.

What’s the purpose of social networking services developed by Dunkin’ Brands? To “solve a problem that many consumers didn’t even know they had,” says its brand marketing officer, Frances Allen. One particular service lets uses design their own donuts, and send them to friends. So far, the “donut configurator” has inspired nearly 30,000 consumers to create roughly a third of a million original donuts. More to the point, Allen claims that donut sales are up “significantly” since the launch of the configurator â€" though she did not provide specifics. Going forward, “We’re taking the challenge of adding social …

Frances Allen, brand marketing officer at Dunkin’ Donuts, shared some important consumer insights with the OMMA Global crowd this morning. The insights, naturally, had to do with why people love donuts. The first she said, was “variety:” the sight of all those colorful toppings and versions of the fried dough and sugar products. “It’s the eye candy in our stores,” she confided. The second killer donut app, she said, is nostalgia. “Everyone has that one powerful donut memory â€" usually sharing with families and friends,” Allen explained. Huh? I always thought it was because they tasted good? …

Our business is about winning every trip every day, customers have a lot of choices. Any social event needs to continue to foster the kind of relationship that defines passion. Collectively, there's enough trust and equity for the long term. Hearts and minds: In 2007, started with Facebook and "Fan of the Week." More than buying breakfast, it's a critical start to the day, first cup of coffee. FB gave us another place to connect with our customers. "Fan" is face of DD's FB page. 160K late 2008 fans, now nearly 1M. This summer, "Keep It Coolatta" was way …

"Our brand is an everyday ritual for many people," said Frances Allen, Dunkin Donuts, brand marketing officers. The company has a strong sense of personal communication. "I think you've heard a lot of poeple refer to my Dunkin." No, actually, I've never heard anyone say that. Maybe it's not a New York thing. She said Facebook gave Dunkin another way to connect with poeple who already have strong connection with a brand. A broad platform for messaging and offering promotions. Now, nearly 1 million Facebook friends and messages go out to users' entire network when they send out updates. Hey, …

Clearmeadow’s Rohan makes good on his promise to help every conference attendee get rich. “Yahoo is by far the most undervalued company on the Internet,” he said. To the extent that there’s even a hint of a cyclical nature to display advertising, he explained, Yahoo is destined to do quite well going forward. “After the stock has reached $25, someone is going to tell you it’s cheap.”

Jordan Rohan, Founder and Managing Partner, Clearmeadow Partners, a digital media advisory firm that helps companies raise money, has been on target at every MediaPost when choosing stocks on the rise. His stock tip today at OMMA Global New York: Yahoo will rise from $17 to $25. He says Yahoo is by far the most undervalued company on the Internet and believes Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz has made the correct moves.