Email Watch: Captain America Runs on Dunkin’

dunkincaptaindonutsamerica1-1.jpgDunkin' Donuts promotional tie-ins for “Captain America: The First Avenger” couldn’t have been any more sugary or red, white and blue.

The marriage of the character and the brand make perfect sense. After all, what could be more all-American than stuffing your face with junk food? (Let's just hope the Avenger remembers that jelly donuts are a sometimes food, so he keeps his crimefighting physique.)

An email campaign to encourage sign-ups for an instant win sweepstakes—with a grand prize of a trip to a Marvel movie premiere—did a great job of engaging recipients with both brands.

After you get past a fairly bland and straightforward subject line ("Captain America instant win & Sweepstakes"), the email draws DDPerks reward club members into the world of the movie inviting them to "Unlock the Lab" of Dr. Erskine, who created the serum that gives Cap his powers.

Once people click through to the lab, they can enter the sweeps, learn more about the movie and take a trivia quiz, as well as link back to the main Dunkin site.

Fighting the marketing battle on several fronts, the email also works in plugs and links for the Captain America Cherry Coolata and the star shaped frosted and sprinkle bedecked jelly donut, and the limited edition Captain America DD Card, which you can register to get a 30 day free trial subscription to Marvel Digital Comics.

The Cap/DD campaign also featured a TV spot, which captured the spirit of the Marvel Comics hero perfectly. Check it out here.