Dunkin' Donuts is continuing to dip its toes in the mobile space via a targeted campaign that not only promotes its Coolatta drinks, but lets consumers find their favorite flavor.

The company is running interactive mobile banner ads within Pandora. The ads not only let consumers build their ultimate Coolatta drink, but also launch the company?s station within the iPhone app.

?Educating customers about a new product not consumed in the morning by way of a mobile ad makes a lot of sense because the realtime nature of mobile allows for ads to be tailored to time, place, and other variables in a way few other mediums can match,? said Wilson Kerr, Boston-based mobile marketing consultant.  

?Dunkin' Donuts locations do not close at 11 a.m. and attracting new customers out and about on a hot summer afternoon based on real-time proximity to a Dunkin' location is an excellent strategy,? he said.

?Since responses can be tracked, the campaign can be tweaked as it goes, to maximize effectiveness.?

Mr. Kerr is not affiliated with Dunkin' Donuts. He commented based on his expertise on the subject.

Dunkin' Donuts did not respond to press inquiries. 

Run on mobile
When consumers click on the expandable ad, they are redirected to a mobile landing page where they can swipe the screen to choose Coolatta flavors.

The page features a large cup that includes two sections ? a top and bottom one.

When consumers slide each section, a different flavor Coolatta drink appears.

?Dunkin' Donuts has formatted its site to be mobile friendly, but does not have a mobile-optimized site,? Mr. Kerr said.

?This is a mistake, in my opinion, as the response rates for the mobile ads might be high, but subsequent actions that drive purchase conversions ? like accessing the store locator or signing up for their rewards program ? will convert poorly on site not designed to display well on a smartphone,? he said.

Mobile efforts
This is not the company?s first time running mobile banner ads.

Recently, the company tested consumer knowledge of its brand via an interactive mobile advertising banner that let them find out their coffee IQ, as well as learn more about the company.

The company ran in-app mobile banner ads within the New York Times iPhone application (see story).

?Mobile is inherently personal,? Mr. Kerr said. ?These Dunkin' ads will be delivered on a small screen literally into the hands of consumers via a device they use 16 hours a day.

?The ads can be personalized to the location where the ads are served,? he said. ?Warm Florida might get one ad in December, while the snowy Northeast might get another. 

?Allowing the consumer to choose the flavor deepens the brand engagement experience and also likely drives performance, in the form of clicks on the ads.?