Dunkin' Donuts sponsors concerts in Joe Nichols' 2011 nationwide tour and offers chances to win tickets, access to private performances and autographed items

CANTON, Mass., June 20, 2011 -- Dunkin' Donuts, America's favorite all-day, everyday stop for coffee and baked goods, today welcomed another famous "Joe" to the brand:  Joe Nichols.  Nichols is a CMA Winner, ACM Winner, four-time Grammy Nominee, and has had eight Top 10 radio hits and four #1 hits.  The American Country Music star will run on Dunkin' Donuts iced coffee throughout the year, as Dunkin' Donuts today announced a partnership with Nichols that includes a sponsorship of shows across his 2011 Nationwide Concert Tour in support of his forthcoming studio album that will be released this fall.  

To officially kick off the partnership, Joe Nichols will become the first person ever to "take over" Dunkin' Donuts' official Facebook page during a live video chat on Wednesday, June 22, the first full day of summer, at 7:00p.m. EDT/ 6:00p.m. CDT.  Dunkin' Donuts' Facebook community (currently 3.6 million people strong and growing) and Nichols fans can watch an intimate acoustic performance of a few of his chart-topping songs and his latest single and have the opportunity to ask the acclaimed Country Music star questions about his music, current tour and life on the road.  In order to watch the live video performance and participate in the chat, fans must have a Facebook account and be a "fan" of Dunkin' Donuts athttp://www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts.  

As part of the partnership, Dunkin' Donuts will also offer fans an opportunity to win special prizes such as tickets to upcoming concerts, passes to meet-and-greet with Nichols, access to pre-show sound check performances, autographed items, and more cool items.

Dunkin' Donuts and Joe Nichols first collaborated at an event in Boston in November 2010, where Nichols was a featured guest and performer to help launch Dunkin' Donuts' national partnership with the USO (United Service Organizations) in support of U.S. troops and their families.

According to John Costello, Chief Global Marketing & Innovation Officer at Dunkin' Brands, this new partnership with Joe Nichols will provide a fun and exciting way to connect our fans to one of the hottest stars in country music and promote Dunkin' Donuts' iced coffee throughout the summer months and beyond.  "Dunkin' Donuts is pleased to partner with award-winning Country Music artist Joe Nichols to provide fans exclusive opportunities to connect with Joe and his music and at the same time shine the spotlight on our iced coffee as the perfect refreshing beverage to keep people running all year long.  From our previous work with Joe, we know first-hand how his songs and personality resonate positively with people throughout the country and we are excited to participate in his concert tour and bring Joe and his music to our fans in multiple ways," he said.

"Dunkin' Donuts already made my favorite coffee, so there was an immediate interest on my part," said Joe Nichols.  "And after seeing them so proactively supporting the troops via the USO, and given my very public support of military personnel, we found out we had even more in common.  The more we talked, the more the connection between us grew. I can't imagine a better fit."

Brokering the partnership, Nichols' manager, George Couri added:  "We already knew how strong the Dunkin' Donuts brand was, and how it continues to grow, and also how many people are legitimate fans of what they do. And then we discovered their extremely successful social media efforts.  But as we learned more about the integrity in which they conduct business, we knew we had found a unique and special organization for us to partner with through Joe's touring, new studio album release this year, and beyond."  

To learn more about Dunkin' Donuts, visit www.DunkinDonuts.com or follow us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/DunkinDonuts) and Twitter (www.twitter.com/DunkinDonuts).