Retail Food Group’s Donut King has gone back to basics, embracing its hero character Buddy as a strategic move to re-engage with its core customers.
Tom Elliott, executive GM at Donut King Australia, said the mascot has been part of the product range for most of its 40-odd years, and is a big favourite with the customer base.
“Mums are our core customer – we have a senior component with different needs – but our primary driver is to cater to mums,” he said.
Now Buddy has been reimagined as an AI-generated, all-singing and dancing character, who will bring the Donut King world to life through a series of campaigns and collaborations celebrating DK Classics, over the next 12 months.
“We see this is a longterm strategic anchor, comparable to Compare the Market’s meerkats or the M&M characters,” Elliott said.
Getting back to basics with DK Classics
Elliott, who returned to RFG in February as group strategy and performance manager before taking on the executive GM role in June, said the brand had been chasing a non-existent customer, with a focus on niche products.
“It’s been important to get back to the question, ‘What do our customers know and love?’. We need to get those products front and centre,” he said.
Elliott points to the DK Classics offer as more than just the donut range; it includes coffee, lunchtime hot dogs, shakes and milkshakes.
“Buddy allows us to speak to those categories and dial up how we deal with license partnerships,” he said.
The first partnership will see Paramount’s Paw Patrol collaboration launching next month, and it will dovetail into value programs in October.
The goal of the DK Classics is to drive customer traffic in a hyper-competitive marketplace and reward loyalty through value.
“Customers are doing it tough and we are putting our best foot forward. The value program has to offer value not just for customers but our franchise partners too. Our back to basics approach is about looking at what franchisees sell, and where the profit margins lie.”
While the brand has focused on what it sells and executes well, there’s also an eye on innovation, he said.
“It’’s been a while since we’ve been in TV campaigns; the mainstream mass market media is the biggest play,” Elliott said.
In store, customers can expected to see Buddy popping up in Donut King counters, in digital displays, and in planned activitations.
