Kylie Jenner teamed up with Dunkin' on The King Kylie Collection, a trio of pink summer drinks inspired by her early days on Instagram. But rather than celebrating the campaign's playful branding, social media has picked apart the promotional imagery, and the reaction has been far from sweet.
At the centre of it all is the reality star in a bubblegum pink suit, holding a matching pink drink, her hair styled in a long, poker-straight pink wig that's reminiscent of her 'King Kylie' era. Many have found it 'unsettling', likening her to a 'fembot alien', as a wave of online mockery continues to build.
What Is King Kylie?
For anyone under 25 or simply not paying attention in 2015, King Kylie was Jenner's more daring alter ego, famously characterised by her teal hair and obsession with lip liner. This persona played a pivotal role in launching Kylie Cosmetics and contributed to her rise on Snapchat.
Reviving King Kylie for a Dunkin' campaign aimed to harness that scrappy, self-made energy. The accompanying advertisement, directed by Dave Meyers, features Kylie crashing a corporate boardroom meeting to cut through the executive buzzwords and declare that, based on her social media, 'Everybody already loves it', before making her exit.
Frozen Smiles and Fading Wigs
The promotional push for the limited-edition drop has been heavily scrutinised online, with fans arguing that the campaign's stiff imagery completely fails to capture its intended playful, cheeky tone. On Reddit, one user remarked that Kylie 'looks a little unsettling and very Tim Burton-esque' in the promotional photos, while another critiqued the styling directly, describing the billionaire as looking as though she was 'drowning in fabric and hair' against a 'grey' skin tone.
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Commenters on YouTube were equally divided over the commercial itself, noting that the background actors 'genuinely did a better job than Kylie' and that her facial expressions looked 'dying to move but can't'.
Whether this visual rigidity stems from nerves on set, heavy digital retouching, or an unfamiliar camera setup, it directly contributes to the overarching criticism that the shoot feels far too rigid for a summer campaign. Even the colour palette drew flak, with one fan suggesting that an ombré wig — dark at the roots and fading out — would have far better complemented the actual gradient of the pink beverages.
A Regurgitated Era?
Beyond the visual execution, the campaign's core concept has left many consumers deeply unconvinced. Critics on social media are openly questioning whether the reality star has 'anything new to offer' beyond repeatedly repackaging her decade-old Tumblr alter ego to sell yet more products.
This cynicism has naturally bled into the reception of the menu itself. While the brand promises a nostalgic summer experience, health-conscious fans were quick to point out the high sugar content and heavy presence of artificial ingredients in the neon-pink beverages, suggesting the collection relies entirely on aesthetic hype rather than substance.
Three Drinks, One Big Debate
For the record, the lineup itself — the Candy Pink Lemonade Refresher, the Vanilla Pink Cloud Latte, and the Pink Lemon Drop Suncloud Lemonade — offers a genuinely fun, visually striking summer menu. Yet the neon-pink beverages have been completely overshadowed by the debate over the campaign's clinical tone.
While some fans shrug that they will happily 'get the Kylie drink and some Munchkins' regardless of the online drama, the rollout serves as a fascinating case study in modern marketing. Dunkin' set out to capture the gritty, carefree nostalgia of a beloved 2016 internet era. Instead, by swapping their signature playful charm for a stiff, over-edited corporate boardroom aesthetic, they proved that today's consumers can easily spot a cash-grab from a mile away.
