Dunkin' Was Founded in 1950. Or Was It Sometime in the 1400s?

While not on the level of the Super Bowl, the Grammy Awards are still a pretty big advertising showcase, with 30-second spots selling for north of $1 million in recent years. 

Dunkin’ will join the parade of advertisers on this year’s Grammys telecast on CBS—with an amusing if not-very-reliable origin story. 

The commercial begins aboard a ship on the high seas, as the captain asks a morose young shipmate, “What’s the matter? Living in the 1400s got you down?” Check out the full :60 for the rest of the story: 

In some ways the spot feels like a throwback to candy ads from a decade ago, with its motley cast (the boy’s haircut toward the end, lol) and meta premise. But it’s also, of course, weirdly forward-looking, at least within the reality of its own goofy world. As far as optimism for America’s future goes, maybe this is as good as it gets right now? 

Andreas Nilsson of Biscuit Filmworks (best known for having made Volvo’s “Epic Split”) directed the spot—doing a pretty damn good Tom Kuntz impression along the way. 

A 30-second version of “Fuel Your Destiny” will air on the Grammys. 

CREDITS
Client: Dunkin’
Spot: “Fuel Your Destiny” :60/:30
Agency: BBDO New York

Creative Agency: BBDO New York
Worldwide Chief Creative Officer: David Lubars
Chief Creative Officer New York: Greg Hahn
Executive Creative Director: Doug Fallon
Executive Creative Director: Steven Fogel
VP, Creative Director: Scott Mahoney
VP, Creative Director: Dan Oliva
Director of Integrated Production: David Rolfe
VP, Group Executive Producer: Dan Blaney
EVP, Senior Director: Jim Santora
VP, Account Director: Tyler Harris
Account Executive: Drew Raabe
Planning Director: Liz Lee

Production Company: Biscuit Filmworks
Director: Andreas Nilsson
Executive Producer: Holly Vega

Edit House: Mackenzie Cutler
Editor: Gavin Cutler
Executive Producer: Gina Pagano

VFX: The Mill NY