National coffee chain Dunkin’ and pop culture icon Sabrina Carpenter have launched a new coffee beverage to ring in the new year.
"Sabrina's Brown Sugar Shakin’ Espresso" is celebrated through a cheeky new ad campaign, “Shake That Ess," a nod to the drink itself and the singer’s famed showgirl stage presence.
The campaign was directed by Dave Meyers and developed in partnership with production studio Artists Equity, which is owned by actors Ben Affleck and Matt Damon, who also previously starred in Dunkin's well-received commercials.
Carpenter is the latest star to bring her own kind of humor to the "Dunkin’ Cinematic Universe."
The drink, an iced, shaken, brown sugar espresso latte, launched on December 31, with the GRAMMY-nominated global superstar repeatedly saying, “I just love shakin' that ess,” in the commercial — of course, with her hit song "Espresso" playing in the background.
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In a press release, Dunkin' CMO Jill McVicar Nelson expounded on the concept behind the collab drink, explaining that it brings "some levity to guests’ everyday coffee order:"
“Working with one of America’s most beloved pop stars, Sabrina Carpenter, adds a spirited, fresh energy that perfectly aligns with Dunkin’s love of bold taste and good-natured fun.
Through our new ad campaign, we’re showing guests that their new drink order can be both delicious and a wink at embracing life’s lighter side — exactly what Dunkin’ is all about.”
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Dunkin' is also welcoming the New Year with its new $5 Meal Deal, which includes a choice between two Wake-Up Wrap sandwiches and a medium hot or iced coffee.
The global donut chain has established its brand voice to be fun, unique, and music-centered.
And partnering with a renowned studio like Artists Equity to develop and execute their creative concepts allows them to collaborate with big stars, effectively widening and diversifying its audience reach.
A Punny Collaboration
The 30-second commercial keeps the tongue-in-cheek messaging throughout, with an onlooker stating, “You're really good at shakin' that ess,” to which Carpenter replies, “Thanks, been shaking that ess for hours. You should try it,” no doubt referencing both the new drink and the dance move.
As more coffee enthusiasts exclaim that they're also “shaking that ess," it dawns on the “Espresso” singer what’s comical about this situation after witnessing her grandma state that “nobody shakes that ess like gam-gam.”
“Oh, shake that ess kinda sounds like shake that a**,” she says, before being cut off by a title screen for the new drink.
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This is not the first time that the artist has been in an espresso-themed commercial, as she starred in an NBC ad for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Set to her smash-hit, “Espresso," she discusses her excitement for the games, then reprimands an imaginary blue bird, after which two waiters note that she has had too much espresso.
Dunkin’ also recently teamed up with pop legends AJ McLean of the Backstreet Boys and Joey Fatone of *NSYNC to release a single inspired by Dunkin' Iced Coffee.
Both of these are part of the coffee chain’s “Dunkin’Terns” cross-platform campaign, also led by agency Artists Equity.
