Waking up the morning after Super Bowl LIX might be tough for some, especially those who have to work on Monday. Unfortunately, despite being the most-watched event on television, the Monday after the Super Bowl has yet to become a national holiday for Americans who celebrate it.
No matter which team you were rooting for, last night was a long one. Dedicated football fans stayed up all night celebrating the Philadelphia Eagles win, and Kansas City Chiefs fans went to bed mourning the devastating loss.
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To make football fans’ Monday a bit better after the high-stakes game, Starbucks gave out free coffee all day long to Starbucks Rewards members. This seems like a timely offer after Dunkin’ Donuts, its rival company, surprised Starbucks with a huge diss that tens of millions of viewers of the big game all across the globe watched.
Related: Why the Super Bowl has become the most-watched event on TV
Like many other big companies, Dunkin’ Donuts paid for an ad to be played during one of the game’s many commercial breaks. However, this ad was unlike any other, with Dunkin taking its ‘America runs on Dunkin’ slogan to the next level.
A Starbucks Coffee location next to a Dunkin’ Donuts location.
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Dunkin’ slams Starbucks in its Super Bowl LIX commercial
The Dunkin’ ad, “DunKings 2”, played during Super Bowl LIX, was a minute long.
Considering that a 30-second Super Bowl commercial costs around $8 million in 2025, not including the production costs and actors’ pay, Dunkin paid about $16 million just for the ad slot. However, the extended version is nearly 7 minutes long and can be watched on Dunkin’s official website or YouTube, meaning the total cost of the commercial was much higher.
The commercial’s storyline involved coffee brands battling each other in the “Java Jam Battle of the Coffee Brand Bands.” Actor Ben Affleck and his brother Casey Affleck headlined the commercial, while actor Jeremy Strong, his girlfriend Jordon Hudson, and NFL coach Bill Belichick also cameoed.
Related: Starbucks reveals plan to keep customers in stores longer
Although Dunkin’ didn’t explicitly mention Starbucks (SBUX) in its very costly commercial, a group of men wearing green and white outfits with a logo similar to Starbucks’ was featured, and Dunkin’ roasted them for longer than coffee beans are meant to be roasted.
Throughout the ad, multiple lines called out various things that Starbucks is known for, with funny comebacks like “Sound’s like what’s in my garbage disposal,” which one can assume alluded to Starbucks’ extensive lineup of flavored syrups and drizzles.
A huge diss was also allegedly levied at Starbucks when Ben Affleck said, “How much to wait a half hour to get my name spelled wrong in the cup?” Alluding to Starbucks’ customers’ complaints about the coffee chain taking too long to process orders.
Starbucks has heard the criticism.
In its latest earnings call, Starbucks heavily emphasized making its cafés more efficient for customers on the go, aiming for shorter wait times in-store and encouraging the use of the Starbucks app for a faster and more convenient ordering process. The company also mentioned that it has achieved a four-minute wait time at most stores.
Another alleged slam of Starbucks was made when Casey Affleck said, “Nobody wants a goat milk double-half soy milk cap. You could just brew it.” alluding to Starbucks’ highly customizable menu.
Recently, Starbucks’ new CEO, Brian Niccol, said he would refresh the Starbucks menu with a simpler version focusing on coffee and quality rather than the number of customizations, which tend to complicate orders. This change aims to improve the experience for customers and employees equally.
Starbucks claps back at Dunkin’s Super Bowl LIX commercial by giving out free coffee
The morning after Super Bowl LIX, Starbucks announced it would give out free tall hot or iced coffees to all Starbucks Rewards members, an offer that the company doesn’t often make. However, it undoubtedly increased nearly every Starbucks store’s traffic since these types of promotions have reportedly been successful for the company, increasing its in-store visits by an average of 27.5%.
Although giving out thousands of free coffee cups might seem like a costly expense for a company that has reported consistent worldwide sales declines, the investment might have been cheaper than paying for a Super Bowl LIX ad since Starbucks was nowhere to be seen during the championship’s intermissions.
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According to its latest earnings report, 34.6 million people have signed up for the Starbucks Rewards Program. If a 1-minute Super Bowl LIX ad is $16 million plus the pay-per-appearance fee that the actors charge and production costs, Starbucks’ marketing strategy seems like a total bargain compared to Dunkin’s marketing approach.
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