Brenda Khan
In 2011, Dr Pepper launched a new brand, Dr Pepper Ten, with a macho ad campaign targeted at men. The campaign featured overtly masculine imagery, including an action movie-themed television commercial denouncing other diet beverages as lady drinks, a Facebook page featuring Man'Ments, and the slogan It's Not for Women. This paragraph will explore the reasons behind the brand's decision to adopt this controversial marketing strategy and the subsequent reaction from consumers.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Marketing campaign target | Men |
| Marketing imagery | Masculine, action movie-themed, muscular men in the jungle |
| Slogan | "It's Not for Women" |
| Facebook page | "Man'Ments", with content excluding women |
| Flavors | All 23 flavors of regular Dr Pepper |
| Calories | 10 |
| Sugar | 2 grams |
| TV commercial | Men in the jungle battling snakes and bad guys |
| Spokesperson | Justin Guarini |
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What You'll Learn
Dr Pepper Ten's marketing campaign
In 2011, Dr Pepper launched a new ad campaign for its new diet soft drink, Dr Pepper Ten, a 10-calorie beverage designed to appeal to men. The campaign, "It's Not for Women", was explicit in its message that the drink was aimed at men and not women. The marketing strategy was a departure from Diet Dr Pepper, which had a women-friendly image with its "dainty tan bubbles" design. In contrast, Dr Pepper Ten was packaged in gunmetal grey with silver bullets to appear macho. The campaign included a Facebook page for men only, which featured an app that dispensed "man'ments" such as "Thou Shalt Not Pucker Up. Kissy faces are never manly".
The campaign was met with mixed reactions. Some female customers criticised the campaign as sexist and offensive, with some calling for a boycott of all Dr Pepper products. Others thought the campaign was effective and funny, arguing that it would appeal to men and provoke women to try the drink. Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper, defended the campaign, saying that women get the joke, although it was unclear what the joke was. About 40% of people who tried the drink were women.
The campaign aimed to corner the male diet soft drink market, as research found that men were reluctant to drink diet drinks that were not perceived as "manly" enough. The company's director of marketing, Dave Fleming, stated that the campaign was not intended to alienate women, and that the research scored well with both men and women.
Dr Pepper has had other notable marketing campaigns, such as the 10-2-4 Campaign, which launched in the 1930s and ran for about 20 years. The campaign referenced a 1920s study by Columbia University's Dr Walter Eddy, who found that people's blood sugar was lowest at 10 am, 2 pm, and 4 pm. The campaign prescribed drinking Dr Pepper at these times to avoid midday sugar crashes. The campaign also featured the slogan "Drink a bite to eat at 10, 2, and 4" and included the trademark character "Old Doc".
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Diet drinks' appeal to men
Diet drinks have traditionally been perceived as appealing primarily to women. However, in recent years, the soft drink industry has seen a shift towards healthier options, with sales of regular sugared soft drinks declining. This has prompted companies like Dr Pepper to introduce new products that appeal to health-conscious consumers without alienating male customers who may shy away from diet drinks due to their taste and image.
Dr Pepper Ten, for example, was introduced in 2011 with a macho ad campaign that proclaimed "It's not for women." The campaign featured overtly masculine imagery, including muscular men in action-packed scenes and a Facebook page with "Man'Ments". The drink itself was also designed to be different from typical diet drinks, with calories and sugar added to give it a sweeter taste. The packaging was also made more masculine, with gunmetal grey cans and silver bullets instead of the dainty tan bubbles on the diet version.
Other companies have also targeted men with their diet drinks, such as Coke Zero and Pepsi Max. These drinks offer a lower-calorie option but without the feminine branding often associated with diet beverages. This approach has sparked some controversy, with critics arguing that such campaigns perpetuate gender stereotypes and reinforce the idea that men should be ashamed of drinking diet drinks.
Some men, however, do not feel stigmatized by drinking diet drinks. They suggest that the notion of diet drinks being exclusively for women is outdated and that men are increasingly making health-conscious choices without worrying about traditional gender norms. This shift in attitudes has been accompanied by a growing trend of men taking on primary grocery shopping and meal preparation roles within their households, leading them to prioritize healthier options for themselves and their families.
To appeal to health-conscious male consumers, beverage companies have also offered alternatives to soft drinks, such as green tea, coconut water, and low-calorie energy drinks. These options provide hydration, nutrients, and energy without the high sugar content and artificial sweeteners found in many soft drinks. By embracing a wider range of beverage choices, men can improve their health and challenge outdated gender stereotypes associated with certain drinks.
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Dr Pepper Ten's macho message
The drink was developed after the company's research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren't perceived as "manly" enough. To appeal to men, Dr Pepper Ten was formulated to be different from Diet Dr Pepper. It has calories and sugar, unlike its diet counterpart. The drink's packaging was designed to be wrapped in gunmetal grey with silver bullets, contrasting with the dainty tan bubbles on the diet can.
The television commercials for Dr Pepper Ten were heavy on machismo, including one spot that showed muscular men in the jungle battling snakes and bad guys and appearing to shoot lasers at each other. The Facebook page for the drink also included content that was aimed at being "manly", such as a shooting gallery where users could shoot things like high heels and lipstick, and a "'man quiz'" with questions on activities like fishing and hunting.
The campaign was criticised by some as being sexist. However, Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper, said he was not worried that women would be offended by the campaign. He said the drink and marketing were tested in six different markets across the country before being rolled out nationally, and women were not offended. He also noted that about 40% of people who had tried the soda so far were women.
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The drink's sweeter taste
The sweeter taste of the drink is central to the marketing of Dr Pepper Ten. The product was developed after market research found that men were less likely to buy diet drinks, which were not perceived as "manly" enough. Dr Pepper Ten contains 10 calories and 2 grams of sugar, which gives it a sweeter taste than its diet counterpart. The drink contains all 23 flavours of the regular soda, which has 150 calories and 27 grams of sugar per can.
The marketing campaign for Dr Pepper Ten is intentionally macho, with the slogan "It's Not for Women". The drink's packaging is gunmetal grey with silver bullets, a stark contrast to the "dainty tan bubbles" of the Diet Dr Pepper can. The television commercials feature masculine imagery, including muscular men in a jungle setting battling snakes and "bad guys". One commercial even shows the men shooting lasers at each other.
The Facebook page for the drink also has an application that allows it to exclude women from viewing certain content, which includes games and videos aimed at being "manly". For example, there is a shooting gallery where users shoot images of high heels and lipstick.
The sweeter taste of Dr Pepper Ten is designed to appeal to men who want a soda with fewer calories but are dissatisfied with the taste and image of typical diet drinks. The company has worked hard to craft a macho message, with ads airing on major networks like FX and ESPN during college football games.
It is worth noting that the sweeter taste of Dr Pepper Ten is not just a marketing gimmick. The drink does contain sugar and calories, which gives it a noticeably different flavour profile from Diet Dr Pepper.
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Justin Guarini's commercial
Justin Guarini, the runner-up on the first season of American Idol, starred in a series of Dr Pepper commercials in the early 2010s. The ads, with their tongue-in-cheek tone, featured Guarini as a smooth-talking pitchman, sporting a handlebar moustache and an old-fashioned suit.
The commercials were part of a marketing campaign for Dr Pepper Ten, a 10-calorie soft drink aimed at men who were dissatisfied with the taste and image of diet drinks. The campaign was intentionally macho and overtly masculine, with the slogan "It's Not for Women". One of the TV spots showed Guarini in an action movie-themed setting, saying, "Hey ladies. Enjoying the film? Of course not. Because this is our movie and this is our soda. You can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're good." The ad ends with Guarini attempting to pour the soda into a glass during a bumpy ATV ride.
Another commercial featured Guarini in a jungle setting, battling snakes and bad guys, with lines like "Dr Pepper Ten. It's not for women. It's not for the weak-hearted. It's for those who take their soda, and their adventures, seriously." The campaign also included a Facebook page for men only, with games and videos that were aimed at being "manly". For example, there was a shooting gallery where users shot at targets like high heels and lipstick.
The Dr Pepper Ten campaign caused some controversy, with some critics calling it sexist. However, the company maintained that the drink and marketing were tested in six different markets across the country before being rolled out nationally, and women weren't offended by the campaign.
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Frequently asked questions
Dr. Pepper's research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren't perceived as "manly" enough. To appeal to men, Dr. Pepper Ten was created with calories and sugar, unlike its diet counterpart.
The marketing campaign for Dr. Pepper Ten features overtly masculine imagery, including an action movie-themed television commercial denouncing other diet beverages as "lady drinks". The Facebook page for the drink contains content that is aimed at being manly, such as a shooting gallery where users shoot images of high heels and lipstick.
Dr. Pepper Ten is targeted towards men who want to drink a soda with fewer calories but are dissatisfied with the taste and image of diet drinks.
Justin Guarini, an American Idol singer and Broadway actor, stars in the Diet Dr. Pepper commercial as "Lil' Sweet".
