In the wild world of advertising, where companies desperately juggle controversy and consumer interests, it seems Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) has cooked up quite the storm with their latest ad. If marketing were an Olympic sport, Dunkin’ might just have taken home the gold for their bold yet bizarre move involving the dreaded G-word—genetics. Brace yourselves, folks, because this one has sent the digital masses into a tizzy.
The ad features Gavin, an actor who audaciously mentions his tan is courtesy of his “golden summer genetics.” Cue the outrage from the internet’s finest keyboard warriors. Yes, the mention of genetics was apparently the final straw for some folks dwelling in the hypersensitive corners of TikTok and Twitter. Who knew that a simple nod to one’s ethnic heritage could ignite a virtual witch hunt? Surely George Orwell is spinning in his grave faster than a Dunkin’ blender whipping up a Golden Hour refresher.
For anyone not caught in the web of woke ideology, it’s clear Gavin’s quip was a harmless homage to his heritage, a cheeky acknowledgment of his naturally sun-kissed skin. But hold your donuts! According to the self-anointed online social justice adjudicators, this is a glaring example of *gasp* eugenics-inspired rhetoric. It seems the new-age inquisition of online activists can conjure offenses out of thin air faster than you can say “political correctness.”
While American Eagle managed to dodge the outrage bullet by making a playful pun about “jeans” and “genes,” poor Dunkin’ wasn’t so lucky. Somehow, in the twisted minds of the perpetually offended, a coffee-drink ad mentioning genetic tan lines spirals into a racist manifesto. It’s a marketing conspiracy, they say, designed to lure unsuspecting coffee lovers into the abyss of white supremacist ideology. One might ask, how does one even make such cosmic leaps of illogic? The answer, dear reader, lies somewhere between the echo chambers of social media and an alarming lack of critical thinking.
Of course, our pals in Hollywood and heartthrobs of pop culture aren’t spared either. Celebrities daring to not disclose their political leanings or, heaven forbid, show a smidgeon of pride in their heritage, become the internet’s latest pariahs. And in this brave new world, little dog whistles are embedded into everything from fashion endorsements to coffee sips—all secretly orchestrating the rise of nefarious movements. According to the hashtag hordes, Sydney Sweeney’s affiliation with, God forbid, Republican ideologies is but another sign of the impending apocalypse.
In the end, it’s merely another episode of consumer brands tiptoeing around the minefields laid out by the self-righteous few. But make no mistake, for every outrage stirred, companies like Dunkin’ slyly count their profitable blessings. Controversy, it seems, is a curious bedfellow of commerce. As perplexing or painstaking as it may be, remember: every tweet, every TikTok rant, just fills another corporate cup to the brim. Cheers to the age of outrage, and may the best marketer win.
