Dunkin's new ad about a celeb's 'genetics' draws comparisons to Sydney Sweeney
Social media users are scrutinizing a new social media ad Dunkin', starring "The Summer I Turned Pretty" leading man Gavin Casalegno, with people honing in on the actor mentioning his "genetics" while hawking the company's new drink.
"Look, I didn't ask to be the king of summer. It just kinda happened," the 25-year-old says in the video shared July 29. "This tan? Genetics. I just got my color analysis back. Guess what? Golden summer. Literally.
"I can't help it; every time I drink a Dunkin' Golden Hour Refresher, it's like the sun just finds me," he continues. "So if sipping these refreshers makes me the king of summer? Guilty as charged."
USA TODAY has reached out to representatives for Dunkin' and Casalegno for comment.
The messaging has divided social media, with some doubling down on their support of the coffee chain while others are drawing parallels to American Eagle's "genes" campaign starring Sydney Sweeney.
Meanwhile, a few people are left confused by the ad's script, with one Reddit user writing: "Not a single part of this ad makes sense? It's literally just word salad." One TikTok commenter wrote: "Genuinely what does a drink have to do with genetics???"
'Why are ads so obsessed with genetics all of a sudden?'
The promotion of Dunkin's newest offering arrives on the heels of American Eagle's July 23 launch of its new campaign with "Euphoria" star Sweeney, which includes a pair of pants – called "The Sydney Jean" – that raises money for the Crisis Text Line.
In one of the promotional videos, Sweeney playfully interchanges the homophones of "jeans" and "genes," with the campaign's messaging indicating that the blonde-haired, blue-eyed actress from Washington has both "great" jeans and genes. Critics of the slogan have said it evokes the discredited philosophies of eugenics and glorifies whiteness.
The top-voted comment under Dunkin's TikTok post with Casalegno reads: "Why are ads so obsessed with genetics all of a sudden." Some of the other top-rated messages also posit rhetorical questions of the same nature.
"The genetics talk is so damn weird. Sincerely, a white guy," one Instagram comment reads, while another says, "Weird time to drop an ad talking about genetics."
People celebrate 'non-woke' messaging
There's also a contingent of people who are on board with the coffee that "America runs on."
"Guess I'll have to stop by Dunkin and get a drink on my way to go buy a pair of American Eagle jeans! Loving all of this non-woke" messaging," an Instagram commenter writes. Another user seemingly celebrated the release of an ad that reflects similar themes to Sweeney's amid American Eagle's controversy: "I love it! The libs are losing their weak minds."
These comments echo the views of President Donald Trump's administration, which chimed in on the discourse when White House Communications Director Steven Cheung, on July 29, wrote on X that "This warped, moronic and dense liberal thinking is a big reason why Americans voted the way they did in 2024."
Marcus Collins, clinical assistant professor of marketing at the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business, previously told USA TODAY that in the case of some brand launches, the scrutiny may be the point. In 2025, the language comes amid a zeitgeist defined by major brands rolling back diversity and inclusive initiatives, according to Collins.
"This feels pretty on brand for (companies) these days," Collins said.
Contributing: Nicole Fallert, USA TODAY
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