Supernatural sets, exclusive treats and a mystery reveal: How the Kahlúa Dunkin Caramel Swirl made an impact

Right from the starting shot of the tense, telenovela-inspired opening spot with Salma Hayek Pinault, it was clear that Kahlunkin’ is a memorable collaboration not afraid of dramatic heights.

In the months since the launch, the melodrama and creativity have only amplified, thanks in no small part to another big reveal on live TV, and a few more unexpected twists along the way. We caught up with Malibu & Kahlúa Creative Content Director Greg West to find out how Kahlunkin’ continues to build momentum, what the reaction from those passionate about the two big brands has been like so far, and get the insider scoop on the spooky location shoot that set the stage for the big launch.

The Kahlunkin’ announcement spot with Salma Hayek Pinault was hugely memorable and already seems like it will go down as a Kahlúa campaign classic. Can you share any details of the production process?

It was a long creative journey to get to the end result. A lot of different ideas were pitched that didn’t make the cut, and we’re really happy with how it ultimately came out. We ended up shooting in LA in Koreatown, next to an old house that was used in American Horror Story, and the crew thinks it might have been haunted!

There were a few mysterious things on set: lenses malfunctioned or broke, the smoke machine broke, there were electrical issues. I’m not sure if it was supernatural or not, but it definitely made for an interesting shoot!

But everything really turned out great. We’ve worked with Salma before and we were super excited that she was game and wanted to come back and work with us again. We amped up the drama even more this time around.

When we filmed the Kahlunkin’ spot, the end result was very close to the original script as it was written.

Wieden+Kennedy, our long-term creative partners, produced the spot. We have a great working relationship with them and their team are a lot of fun to collaborate with. It’s a pleasure to be on a set when everyone is friends and excited to see each other. We were all working very hard and under strict deadlines to get all the shots we needed, but there was still a lot of laughter in the air, which is a good sign.

This is a great example of the creativity Kahlúa is known for – a vital tool to break through the noise of the congested advertising landscape. How does the team achieve that kind of consistency of creative ideas?

Weve hit a very good stride. A lot of it comes down to a strong relationship with Wieden+Kennedy. We started working with them three years ago and have built a really strong foundation of trust.

We push each other to always make the work better. Kahula also has a strong strategic foundation. The “Stir Up” platform has created a very clear vision, allowing us to always deliver the drama in everything we do.

Were ultimately strongly committed to what the brand stands for: the promise of playfulness and honoring our Mexican roots, which means we can also leverage heritage and melodrama hallmarks in everything we do. With that philosophy weve unlocked a solid formula to use, whether its the Dunkin collab, Saint Patricks Day, or other initiatives. And then, as clients of our creative partners, were mindful not to dilute their work, which is an easy trap to fall into.

When we filmed the Kahlunkin spot, the end result was very close to the original script as it written. Our job is to make sure the branding is clear, but we didnt interfere too much in dulling down the idea. Were ultimately all trying to create work that people will be entertained and excited by.

You left a cliffhanger in the Kahlunkin’ announcement spot to build interest, culminating in a reveal on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where we found out who was inside the giant cup. Did the reveal deliver on your expectations?   

The idea was that, along with the absurdity of the giant mustached Dunkin’ cup in the launch spot, there could be another mystery for consumers to discover who was inside the cup suit. Boston Rob is a Survivor legend in the US and recently just starred in The Traitors. As his name suggests, he’s a Boston hometown hero, just like Dunkin’, so he was the perfect person to play the role in the whodunnit story.

We got the chance to do the reveal on Watch What Happens Live and their team was really into it. We showed them what we were thinking, and they helped make it even bigger.

It was a natural fit. We got more airtime than we expected because Andy Cohen knows Rob from his time in the Bravo-sphere, so he had a lot of questions for him. Rob was great, and it all worked out perfectly for us.

It sounds like the collaboration has been full of high points, but are there any particular highlights so far?

I think one of the highlights was working with the internal cross-functional teams, who really rallied around the launch. Once we started ramping things up in tempo, everyone worked very well together and very hard. It set a great example of how collaboration can take a great concept and make it even better.

Dunkin’ is part of American culture. It has been great to work with another beloved brand and use that to introduce more people to Kahlúa.

One thing I’m really proud of is that we pitched Dunkin’ the idea of doing a “Kahlunchkin” (Dunkin’ has an iconic product called Munchkins, which are bite-sized donut hole treats). They loved the idea, and their culinary team made custom Kahlua-infused Munchkins that we’ve had at all of our promotional events since. So along with the Kahlunkin’ drink, there’s this special, exclusive treat, a chocolate salted Munchkin, that comes with a pipette of Kahlua Dunkin’ that you inject into the middle.

That was a highlight for me as someone who grew up as a fan of Munchkins as a kid, I’m super proud of it.

Both brands have a lot of big fans with high expectations. Do you feel Dunkin’ enthusiasts embraced Kahlua, and vice versa?

So far the reception has been very strong. Dunkin’ is a part of American culture, and there are a lot of diehard Dunkin’ fans. It has been fun to get to play with that and work with another beloved brand with a big following, and to use that stature to introduce more people to Kahlua.

From our side we bring a bit of an edge, as an alcohol brand. This is Dunkin’s first entrance into the creme liqueur space, and Kahlunkin’ is really a perfect gift for a diehard Dunkin’ fan in your life. The brands complement each other so well. Kahlua fundamentally has coffee at our core, of course, and Dunkin’ is famous for their coffee, so it makes sense on all fronts.

The collab is still very much ongoing but can you see any general outcomes already?

The overall campaign launch was extremely well received. We had over two billion impressions just from the product announcement alone. On top of that, the campaign launch and “Who’s in the Cup?” campaign created almost another billion earned media impressions, so kudos to the strategic comms teams who spearheaded both of those.

The detailed measurements for the media campaign will take longer to gather, but so far it’s clear that people are loving the spots, and responding really well to the product.

This process has shown how successful collaborations can be, and how exciting they can be for consumers when done well.

Has this campaign inspired the team for future collaborations, and if so in which way?

Kahlunkin’ will run for the next year so we’ll keep supporting that for a good while. We have a couple of surprises we will keep under our hat until next holiday season – so there’s definitely more to come and we’re not finished yet.

I think finding another brand that is going to be such an easy collaboration and clear match for us will be a challenge. But I do think there’s some unexpected ones that we could explore, especially as we keep expanding Kahlua’s offering which is exciting.

This process has shown how successful collaborations can be, and how exciting they can be for consumers when done well.

Can you share anything about your ongoing activations as Kahlunkin’ rolls on through December, and what you hope to achieve with these?

We have some good podcast integrations coming including the Martha Stewart Podcast and Let’s Be Honest with Kristin Cavallari. We’ve seen the audio space work really well in the past, for Malibu in particular, and we know consumers are continuing to lean into that channel. We want to get the idea of Kahlunkin’ further into the pop culture sphere and the audio world is a great way to do that.

We have some fun experiential activations happening as well, including ChainFest LA, a food festival featuring famous chain restaurants founded by BJ Novak from The Office. Pernod Ricard has worked with them for some time now, and it’s always a fun place for our brands to pop up.

We’re a sponsor for that festival. There will even be an experiential element with a giant Kahlunkin’ bottle filled with munchkins when you walk in. Attendees can then guess how many are in the bottle for the chance to win the big prize. On top of that we’ll be appearing at two other holiday festivals happening in New York City in December, including Eater Under Wraps. So it’s going to be very busy throughout December with a lot of opportunities to see or hear about Kahlunkin’.