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Ben Affleck’s Dunkin’ Employee is the Hero We Need, But Not the One We Deserve
While the world was fixated on the Chiefs’ stunning comeback and Rihanna’s dazzling halftime show (not to mention her $100,000 Jacob & Co watch), perennial fast-food favourite Dunkin’ (formerly Dunkin’ Donuts) used Super Bowl LVII to remind viewers that America Runs on Dunkin’. Like many that came before it, the iconic breakfast institution’s cutesy Super Bowl commercial tapped a celebrity cameo, this time staring Ben Affleck as a passionate Dunkin’ employee, but there was something innately warming about the appearance. Unlike Will Ferrell’s GM ads or whatever Anna Faris was doing with Avocados From Mexico, Dunkin’s ad managed to capture something entirely different – authenticity.
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Ben Affleck with a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
Affleck has long had a love affair with the coffee and baked goods chain, one that remarkably eclipses his on-again-off-again relationship with Jennifer Lopez. For over two decades, the paparazzi have been snapping pics of the Academy Award-winning actor slurping down iced lattes like they’re going out of fashion, with one particular lockdown-enforced moment spreading like wildfire in 2020. Images of Affleck attempting to carry his online purchases inside while also drinking a big-gulp-sized coffee made the perfect meme fodder and the internet didn’t disappoint. More than two years on from the viral sensation, Affleck has taken his love of Dunkin’ to the next level.
A 30-second Dunkin’ Super Bowl commercial saw Affleck as a store employee in Medford, Massachusetts, fielding orders from real-life customers while sporting a less-than-fashionable headset. “Hello, welcome to Dunkin’,” he opens the ad with. “How can it be this inexpensive and good?” Over the course of the commercial, we see a number of customers roll up to the window, some seemingly shocked by the A-lister’s presence while others could not care less.
Ben Affleck in the Dunkin’ Donuts Super Bowl commercial | Image: YouTube
The clip ends with a Jennifer Lopez pulling up to the drive-through shocked to find her husband behind the ordering system. “What are you doing here? Is this what you do when you say you’re going to work all day?” she asks him.
As cheesy as it is, the Ben Affleck Dunkin’ commercial is one of those celebrity endorsements we can actually get behind. Knowing that Affleck is a real-life fan of the brand, willing to drop cash on hot bagels and coffee practically every morning is enough for us to believe the partnership is real, which is a lot more than you can say for some other Super Bowl ads. Sure, the coffee brand may not have the reach of Starbucks or the esteem of McDonald’s, but Dunkin’ gets its customers – value is key, quantity is important and authenticity is critical. America may not run on Dunkin’ yet but Ben Affleck certainly does.
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Ben Affleck attempting to pick up parcels while holding a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
Ben Affleck attempting to pick up parcels while holding a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
Ben Affleck with a Dunkin’ Donuts coffee
Nick Hall
Nick Hall is the Editor-in-Chief of Man of Many and an accomplished journalist. He completed a Bachelor of Creative Industries at the Queensland University of Technology, with a double major in Journalism and Music. Prior to working at Man of Many, Nick spent two years as a journalist with Inside Franchise Business, focusing on small business, finance and legal reporting. In 2021, Nick was named B&T's Best of the Best Journalist of the Year. With an extensive background in the media industry, Nick specialises in feature writing, fashion, lifestyle and entertainment content. A qualified barber and men's stylist, Nick also holds a Cert III in Barbering from the Queensland Hairdressing Academy.
