2/27/2004 01:14:11 PM|||Scott Lewis|||

Recognizing the growth potential for new breakfast sandwiches, Dunkin' Donuts began a high-profile test of what it is calling its "New England Maple Cheddar Sandwich." Available now in the New England area only, TV and radio ads will feature the new Boston Red Sox savior Curt Schilling.

McDonald's showed the power of a new morning meal intro with its McGriddles rollout last year. The sandwich was credited with helping the Golden Arches get its gleam back.

Dunkin' Donuts new offering is its biggest foray into breakfast sandwiches in recent history. The chain has high hopes for it. "We'll see how it works in New England," said John Gilbert, vp-marketing for the Randolph, Mass.-based chain. "We'll continue the pressure on this thing if it works for us."

Not unlike the McGriddles, the sandwich is slightly sweet. It combines the flavors of cheddar cheese, maple-flavored sausage and egg. "The thing we find compelling is Americans are more stressed, hurried and hassled than ever before," said King. "They are eating breakfast on the run. It's become an incredibly important meal occasion." As a result, he said the chain has a "whole bulletin board' of other sandwiches under consideration.

The 30-second spot, via Hill Holiday, Boston, shows Schilling trying to learn a Boston accent as if it were another language. He carefully pronounces words like "park" and "car" and makes sure to add the adjective "wicked" to his vernacular. A 60-second radio spot and print supports. The initial campaign is expected to slated to run March 1 through April 18.

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|||110512543164548648|||Dunkin' Donuts Pitches New Sandwich1/11/2005 8:04 AM|||stephenb|||I love the DD coffe and donuts, but the breakfast sandwiches have been a big dissapointment. The egg with bacon on an english are put into a microwave, usually for too long a time. The result is a sushy, melted mess.Also, the bacon tends to be of dubious quality. DD might review how McD does their breakfast sandwiches as they are of much better quality.