Social Listening: Behind the Counter at Dutch Brothers

As someone who’s been working at Dutch Bros for a minute, I thought it’d be good to share a behind-the-scenes take on what it’s like here and what people are saying online. I'll break it to you now, it’s not always sunshine and rainbows. It's a job and there are always going to be things I don't particularly love, but it is a very fun and enjoyable job. I chose Dutch because I can see it from all 3 sides - the consumer, the employee, and overall marketing. It’s interesting to see how people react to what we do.

Customer Reviews

First off, if you’ve been to Dutch Bros, you’ve probably noticed we try to keep things upbeat. Whether it’s chatting with customers in the drive-thru or promoting drinks online, we’re encouraged to bring energy and make connections. But I’ll be real - it can get a little exhausting. Some days you’re just trying to get through the rush without messing up an order, let alone keeping the “good vibes” going.

@Haleypham (left) and @lovemymonkeysx3 (right)

The company’s goal is to serve good drinks and keep things light and fun, but let’s be honest—not everything is perfect. For example, the lines can get ridiculously long. @lovemymonkeysx3 on TikTok said, "I just waited 25 minutes in the Dutch Brothers line, just to pull up to the window and see the nice young gentleman at the window pour open a can of what looks to be an energy drink and pour it over some ice." We’re working as fast as we can back there, but when the line’s wrapped around the block, people are going to get frustrated, it's just the way that it is sometimes. Another thing is the sweetness of the drinks. A lot of people love the sugary stuff, but others think it’s way over the top. @haleypham on TikTok said "I was expecting all of these to be way too sugary. It's still definitely sweet if you like sweet coffee which I do." We’ve got options to customize, like cutting the sweetness, but not everyone knows about that, and it’s something we could communicate better. On the other hand, people like u/IWannaWakeUpButIDont (below) on Reddit say that it seems like there's no flavoring in their drink. While this could very well be the case, I've also had customers accuse me of forgetting their flavor when I made the drink and know that I didn't. It's all up to preference and taste.

Dutch's Social Media

Example of how Dutch Bros promotes new drinks

Social media is a big part of how Dutch Bros interacts with customers. They’re constantly sharing new drink announcements, stand openings, and customer/employee shout-outs through both posts and story reposts. That part is pretty cool because it feels like people actually care about the brand and that the brand reciprocates that. But sometimes the focus on being trendy and upbeat feels a little disconnected from the day-to-day reality of working there. Don't get me wrong, giveaways are so fun, the look of excitement on a customer's face when I hand them that sticker or bracelet or what have you, is simply unmatched. But when we’re slammed and running out of stickers by 9 am, it’s not easy to keep up the energy while we disappoint customers for the rest of the day who just wanted their sticker.

One of the challenges for Dutch Bros is balancing growth with what made the brand popular in the first place, staying true to their value proposition, and gauging content to their target audience. As they expand, it’s harder to keep that small, personal, and young feel that a lot of customers love. Not many people know this, but Dutch Bros started relatively true to how they are now - a tent in a parking lot with a speaker and a coffee machine. For employees, keeping that vibe means maintaining energy and engagement while managing busier and busier shifts. It’s not always easy, but it’s part of the job. Dutch Bros' social media pages, specifically Instagram keep relatively true to that value proposition as well by being active on their social platforms and responding to customers in the comments, both good and bad. They take criticism and use it as a chance to promote even further. I think this attributes to their overall goal to feel youthful and it's good that they do this but I do think they can go about it better to achieve their goal even more than they are now.

Criticisms

    If I were the brand manager, I would try to make it feel less forced when trying to be relatable. I understand that the company is trying to capture a youthful vibe, but it can get a little corny. It feels a little too corporate right now, I think that having someone on the branding team who is the age of their target demographic (young adults/teenagers) and having them be vocal in the creation and output on social media or even having them be the social media manager as a whole is a good idea. The youthful corporate responses are a little tired, I feel like other companies do it well, they give the person behind the screen a personality - rather than emulating the personality of the company. One of the main reasons people go to Dutch Bros is to be embraced by the personalities of the employees - so why is it any different on social media? Why is it that every barista is encouraged and even trained to embrace their quirks and be relatable as a person rather than a company asset, but the social media manager isn't held to that same standard?

    Maybe it's the emoji uses, or the seemingly forced youth slang but it feels like the person behind the screen isn't being their true self, like they're trying to change who they are to "fit the brand" but that directly contradicts what Dutch Bros is all about. The social media interactions should feel like a barista is right next to you, chopping it up with you in line. Not a big corporate entity with a whole team picking what emojis will go in the caption.  

    Using the comments from above as examples, how exactly do I think Dutch Bros should respond true to their value proposition? Comment: "It would be great if your company stopped charging a fee for vegan milk. Vegan milk is better for the environment than cows' milk." Response: "Preach!! Our new years resolution is no upcharge for alt milk (starting on new years eve🤫)". Comment: "I just tried the Cinnamon one and omg it's AMAZING. It's not super sweet like a lot of other drinks, very balanced." Response: "Out here doing the marketing for us. LOVE!" There is a way to respond professionally while retaining the youthful edge they want to achieve without making it corny like they are.

Final Thoughts

    At the end of the day, Dutch Bros is still a job. It still has its good days and bad days, just like any other workplace. Some customers are amazing and make your shift better, and others can be a lot to deal with. One thing that I've learned through this assignment and the research that came with it is that a surprising amount of people are not comfortable sharing their complaints with the baristas. They may take it online after the fact or just keep it to themselves. But please, if you’ve got feedback, whether it’s positive or critical, we’re here to listen and we want to help. We have no issue remaking a drink if it isn't what you ordered or hoped for, we can't do better if we don't know. We all know that we aren't just serving you a drink, We're serving you an experience. 

    We talk a lot at the stand and something that we are passionate about is acknowledging that, yes, our drinks are expensive. We remember how it was being a customer. A lot of customers (reasonably) don't have the funds to justify getting a treat like Dutch all the time. If you walk away unhappy for any reason, we aren't doing our jobs correctly. The last thing we want is for you to spend $5-10 on a drink that you might not even finish because you don't enjoy it.

Marketing in the News: NFL, McDonald's, and their McParlays

By Rocky Zachary

Let’s talk about football - more specifically, how your favorite (participating) NFL teams can score you free McDonald's. An ongoing McDonald's marketing campaign immediately caught my attention because of its one-two punch of free things and football (2 things of which I am quite passionate about). As a football fan and someone who appreciates free stuff, I was magnetized by how McDonald's uses the excitement of football fans to engage its audience while offering something everyone loves: free food. This promotion is not something advertised, which I find interesting, and I wanted to dive deeper into how they pull it off and why they keep it so "if you know you know".

The Campaign

    Picture this: Your team - let's use the Seattle Seahawks as an example - You're watching the TV diligently as you see the team they're against line up for a field goal, you hold your breath and cover your mouth. Snap, kick, suspense building as you watch the ball fly through the air, "He misses the field goal! Wide right!". You look at your phone and see a notification from Mcdonald's, "Free Chicken McNuggets with any $2 Purchase: Seahawks Game Day Special!"

    Why is this so smart? First, it’s interactive. It’s not just about watching the game but also participating in the fun, think of it like a sports bet you don't have to pay for ahead of time. Second, it’s social media gold. People are posting, sharing, and talking about it before, during, and after the games, which keeps McDonald's top of mind.

    Almost every participating team has different incentives to hit for the promos to activate. The example I used was for the Seattle Seahawks but there are multiple other teams with different promos. The Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, New York Jets, Buffalo Bills, Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts, and Minnesota Vikings are all examples of teams participating in the promotion with varying rewards.

Why It Works

    McDonald's is genius for this for a multitude of reasons; It's a win-win for both McDonald's and the NFL, improving the number of fans watching the games as well as improving the game-watching experience. It gives fans something tangible to root for, rather than just the love for their team. It also helps increase customers going to McDonald's, with a $2 purchase requirement, the sales numbers will skyrocket if the promo hits, as all of those people might not have otherwise gone to McDonald's might go. Even if your team isn’t playing (or, let’s be honest, isn’t winning), McDonald's gives you a reason to stay invested. You’re rooting for something as simple as a missed field goal, or a sack, and that excitement ties directly back to their brand.

    This is what separates McDonald's from the pack. This campaign isn’t just about a free Big Mac or McNuggets; It’s about the fun, the anticipation, and being part of something bigger. They’re not just selling food; they’re selling a moment, an unmatched hype of watching your favorite team get a sack or scoring over 2 touchdowns. Does this sound similar to something else tied into sports relevancy lately? 

    Betting on player stats is a phenomenon that is very popular in the sports world currently, and McDonald's has their finger in the (apple?) pie in the best way possible. While sports betting companies are using the gambling tactic of "you give me money, and if your parlay hits, I give you back more money", McDonald's has it all figured out - they don't ask for anything from you until the field goal is missed, until the sack is made. Once this "parlay" of sorts hits - then they offer you a deal and all you have to do is pay $2 for it.

    Let’s face it: fast food is a marketing battlefield. Brands (including McDonald's) are dropping millions of dollars on flashy commercials. But McDonald's takes a different approach with this promotion specifically. They send you a quick notification, and that's it. No big flashy Super Bowl ad about "Free McNuggets when the Ravens force a missed field goal next year". They cater the promo to who they should - the fans. There are positives and negatives to this though. Of course, McDonald's has competition. Fast food giants like Burger King are always lurking, and their own NFL ad promotions can overshadow smaller campaigns. But McDonald’s creative, gamified strategy gives it an edge.

My Takeaways

    I think McDonald's is mostly nailing it with this campaign. It’s simple and encourages fans to not only stay engaged in the games but to make purchases afterward. However, I do think there are a few areas they could be doing better. They could be using the NFL team's social media pages to regularly promote the deal. Imagine the Ravens force a missed field goal against the Seahawks, and 5 minutes later, you open Instagram and see a collaboration post between McDonald's and the Ravens where it shows the play, and they do some sort of stupid silly edit where the ball is a giant McNugget and after the ball goes wide right/left, it cuts to the promotion image. I think they could be using their resources with the NFL a lot better than they are, making it a commonly known thing, rather than the "if you know you know" system they have going on right now.

    If I were in charge, I would change a few things. I think they could take it even further than they have it now. Obviously, the things I talked about above, fixing the critiques I have of the campaign, but beyond that; What if they added an optional system in the app to pick your team? Imagine fans of the Bills who live in California, they aren't currently eligible for their team's promotion because they don't live in New York. But they could be if they added this to the app. It would also encourage those who might not otherwise watch the NFL to start watching. If someone signs up for the McDonald's app and is confused about why it's asking their favorite NFL team, a quick Google search will show the promo and boom, another NFL fan. Another idea is that McDonald's could partner with football influencers and content creators to hype up the campaign. A football influencer doing a challenge with McDonald's food during the game would be an instant hit. Imagine, for example, a video of Gronk having to eat a Big Mac for every sack throughout the game.

    McDonald's campaign is a reminder of how powerful word of mouth can be. This promotion isn't really advertised by McDonald's or the participating NFL teams, the most you really get is (sometimes) a notification on the app. It’s not just about the product (though who doesn’t love free food?), it’s about the experience of watching your favorite team and the hype that comes with those big moments. At the end of the day, people don’t just buy food - they buy into the vibe, the fun, and the overall energy behind it. McDonald's gets that, and that’s why their campaigns work so well.

Original Inspiring Articles: 

CBS: The Jets and McDonald's have a "Sacks for Big Macs" deal this season. Here's what it means for fans.

WKBW: New McDonald's partnership means Buffalo Bills fans can score free Big Macs and more

Hey all :)

 Hi, I'm Rocky!

    I'm a freshman here at LBCC. I work at Dutch Brother's in Salem and have 4 younger sisters. Pictured is me and my girlfriend of 3 years, Holly. She is my light, my motivation to push forward. As well as my girlfriend, I also love football and clothing design, those are my passions. I enrolled in this class because I am interested in marketing and I hope to use it in my future career and my current youth group. I am not a business or marketing major, I am using this year to finish out my required credits before transferring to Pacific University next year to pursue their Sports Communication degree while also taking graphic and apparel design classes so that if I decide to go back to school I will only need to go back for a year or so to either get a degree in graphic or apparel design.

    The thing that really draws me towards this class and marketing in general is the ability to use it on social media. Not necessarily advertisements but the thought of dedicating an entire page to your brand or company/organization and having people follow it because they appreciate your work and what you do. I want to hone in on these social media literacy skills as I am running the social media page for my youth group for the state of Oregon and I am on the marketing committee for the organization internationally.  I have already touched on some of the things I do outside of school, but I truly am so passionate about my youth group. It’s not a religious thing, more of a self-help thing for young men that we want to be better men. From ages 12-21, we focus on 7 of the virtues of good men and help coach members on how to do that. I am currently one of the 3 heads of the state of Oregon for the organization, running the social media page for the state as well as designing all logos and graphics used by the state. I am driven by this organization, currently campaigning for the election of the international leader of the organization in a few years.

    Another passion of mine that I already have touched on briefly is apparel design. I design clothes for fun all the time. At my work (Dutch), we do a “Buck for Kids” charity day. As part of it, we were tasked with making shirts to wear at the stand to promote the charity we partnered with Darian’s Gift. I volunteered to design the shirts (left) and people loved them so much that I still see employees wearing them to work. My goal with this is to have a side hustle-style clothing brand on Instagram or Shopify. I want to use this passion in my career, I hope to be a clothing/ sports uniform designer for Nike. My dream project is to create a football uniform for the Oregon Ducks.