Adweek reported Dunkin’ is getting a golden shower for its Golden Hour Refresher advertisement, which makes a reference to genetics.
It might be a case of bad timing, as the public is still processing the American Eagle “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Genes/Jeans” campaign.
Or it might be a case of the responsible creative teams at Dunkin’ and American Eagle having cultural cluelessness in their DNA.
Dunkin’ Faces Backlash Over Genetics Reference in New Ad
Consumers are hyperaware of the topic amid outcry over American Eagle’s Sydney Sweeney campaign
By Elena Cavender
Dunkin’s latest ad, released on the heels of American Eagle’s new campaign starring Sydney Sweeney, is facing backlash on social media for mentioning genetics.
The ad stars The Summer I Turned Pretty star Gavin Casalengo and promotes Dunkin’s Golden Hour Refresher by playing on the actor’s “golden” tanned skin.
The spot came out days after American Eagle’s “Sydney Sweeney Has Great Jeans” campaign, which has drawn criticism for alleged racist undertones and promoting eugenics due to its celebration of Sweeney’s genes. In the ad, the blonde hair, blue-eyed actress says, “Genes are passed down from parents to offspring, often determining traits like hair color, personality, and even eye color.”
While the Dunkin’ ad’s mention of genetics is subtler, it has struck a nerve for praising traits associated with white beauty ideals while mentioning genetics. In the ad, Casalengo says, “This tan? Genetics. I just got my color analysis back and guess what? Golden summer.” Color analysis refers to the beauty trend of picking colors that look best on based on skin tone.
The pushback against the Dunkin’ ad might have more to do with the timing of the ad than the content itself. But consumers were quick to comment on Dunkin’s YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok accounts to point out the troubling trend of mentioning genetics in advertising and to leverage accusations of racism.
Dunkin’s TikTok post of the ad received over 1.3 million views at the time of writing. One comment reads, “What’s up with ads and the word genetics rn” received over 25,000 likes. Another comment says, “So no American Eagle or Dunkin’, got it,” garnered nearly 2,000 likes.
Like with the American Eagle campaign, TikTokers are posting standalone videos on the controversy. One creator posted a video arguing it’s especially odd for Dunkin’ to mention genetics given that unlike the American Eagle ad, there is no gene-related pun. It received over 36,000 views at the time of writing.
Dunkin’ did not respond to ADWEEK’s request for comment.
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