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Krispy Kreme began in 1937 when Vernon Rudolph opened his first doughnut shop in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The name was invented to represent the crispy outside of the doughnuts and the soft, creamy middle. Based upon a recipe he bought in 1937 from a French chef, the original glazed doughnuts remain unchanged over the years. The recipe is locked in a fireproof vault at the company’s headquarters to this day! A typical Krispy Kreme store turns out more than 3,000 doughnuts an hour. A large store can create up to 12,000 doughnuts per hour.
Krispy Kreme doughnuts have different values to society. For instance, doughnuts have been valued as a morning “treat”. Doughnuts aren’t a normal breakfast staple because they have that unique “special occasion” value. However, another reason as to why people may not eat doughnuts every morning is because of its health value. The sweet, warm and fluffy taste of the doughnut is quite an experience, but the health values can be another story. To those who live an active and physical lifestyle can see a doughnut as a symbol of laziness and a sign of not caring for health.
An example is that many people often stereotype police officers as lazy obese cops that hang out at gas stations eating doughnuts and drinking coffee. When it comes to advertising for Krispy Kreme doughnuts, there really isn’t a big aggressive campaign. The products and stores often advertise themselves. Each Krispy Kreme doughnut store can be seen as a “Doughnut making theater”. The stores show the public how each doughnut is made and serve the final products hot off the assembly line.
A neon light that says “Hot Doughnuts Now” informs the public of a fresh batch being available for purchase. Another advertising tactic which Krispy Kreme uses is that they sell their dozens of doughnuts in a different size box compared to other doughnut retailers. Their box is a skinnier, taller and wider. Other doughnut retailers often sell a dozen of doughnuts in a box similar to fried chicken retailers. Krispy Kreme’s approach makes the product look more important than just a normal box of doughnuts. Finally, Krispy Kreme gets very involved in their surrounding community.
Upon the opening of new stores they often send boxes of doughnuts to many companies and vendors, getting them prepared for their new arrival. Krispy Kreme offers a very successful fundraising program in which they sell dozens of doughnuts to clubs and organizations at a discounted price so they could raise funds for themselves. This method then allows for the company to get known through word of mouth. I feel that the advertising campaign for Krispy Kreme really isn’t as aggressive or complex as other retail advertising campaigns.
Some social factors and cultural factors that have helped Krispy Kreme become accepted into society is that consumers enjoy products in social settings. Consumers can go to a Krispy Kreme store and enjoy the experience of watching the doughnuts be made with others. Doughnuts are also usually shared with others because a dozen of doughnuts is normally not eaten by one person. For children’s birthdays or special occasions, often people bring in doughnuts for others to celebrate. I think that the consumer society is one that enjoys their purchases with others.