Dr Pepper, a soft drink celebrated for its unique blend of 23 flavors, has a rich history dating back to its creation in the 1880s by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Waco, Texas. First nationally marketed in the United States in 1904, Dr Pepper has been manufactured and distributed by various companies across the globe. Over the years, its marketing and advertising strategies have played a crucial role in shaping its identity and market position. This article explores the evolution of Dr Pepper commercials, highlighting some of the most memorable campaigns and their impact on the brand.
Early Days and Unique Positioning
In its early days, Dr Pepper sought to establish itself as a distinct beverage in a competitive market. The name "Dr. Pepper" was first used commercially in 1885. The company's early marketing efforts focused on highlighting its unique flavor profile, setting it apart from other soft drinks. Unlike Coca-Cola, which has caramel notes, or Pepsi, with its sweet profile, Dr Pepper's complex flavor defied simple description.
"King of Beverages" (1889-1914)
Dr Pepper's early slogan, "King of Beverages," reflected a common marketing approach of the time, with brands making bold claims of dominance. However, Dr Pepper's true distinction lay in its unique flavor, a characteristic that would later anchor its advertising and set it apart from Coca-Cola and Pepsi's more conventional tastes.
"Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2, and 4 o'clock" (1920s-1940s)
The "Drink a Bite to Eat at 10, 2, and 4 o'clock" campaign marked a significant shift in Dr Pepper's marketing strategy. Instead of merely promoting the drink as a thirst quencher, this campaign transformed Dr Pepper from a mere beverage to a liquid snack. Unlike competitors who emphasized thirst and flavor, Dr Pepper carved out a distinct market position by presenting itself as a between-meal sustenance. The specified drinking times-10 AM, 2 PM, and 4 PM-embedded the brand into daily routines, pioneering the use of scheduled consumption in soft drink marketing.
Post-War Optimism and Social Connection
"The Friendly Pepper Upper" (1950s)
In the 1950s, Dr Pepper used "The Friendly Pepper Upper" to tap into America's post-war optimism. The slogan cast the drink as a social catalyst, linking it to friendship and shared moments rather than just taste or refreshment. This approach set Dr Pepper apart from competitors by focusing on how the drink made people feel and connect-emphasizing on the decade’s focus on community and casual gatherings.
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Embracing Uniqueness and Individuality
"America's Most Misunderstood Soft Drink" (1960s)
In 1960s America, Dr Pepper turned its distinctive taste into a marketing advantage with the slogan "America's Most Misunderstood Soft Drink." Unlike Coca-Cola's caramel notes or Pepsi's sweet profile, Dr Pepper's complex flavor defied simple description. The company transformed this potential weakness into strength, positioning its unique taste as a badge of individuality. This strategy resonated with the era's counterculture, which rejected mainstream conformity. While other soft drink companies pushed for mass appeal, Dr Pepper embraced its role as an outsider.
"Be a Pepper" (1977-1983)
The "Be a Pepper" campaign (1977-1983) was a groundbreaking marketing effort that created a distinct social identity around the brand. Dr Pepper became a symbol of membership in an inclusive community, with slogans like "I'm a Pepper, He's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, We're a Pepper" and "Wouldn't you like to Be a Pepper too?" These slogans turned Dr Pepper into membership in an inclusive community, with direct call-and-response slogans: "I'm a Pepper, He's a Pepper, She's a Pepper, We're a Pepper" and "Wouldn't you like to Be a Pepper too?" While other soft drinks emphasized personal refreshment, Dr Pepper built its brand around shared belonging-like being part of a tribe. The campaign was introduced at the 1977 Dr Pepper’s Bottler Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada. The company wanted to focus on drinkers between the ages of 13-30. David Naughton, the “Pied Piper” of Peppers, appeared in many of the campaign’s commercials. Other commercials soon introduced other famous Peppers - artists such as Michael Jackson and the Jacksons, Chic, The Statler Brothers, Tanya Tucker, the Little River Band, and Popeye the Sailor Man. in 1980. In that same year, J.C. Penney announced that 1,800 of its stores would offer a variety of sportswear and accessories featuring the “I’m a Pepper” logo. According to the Dr Pepper Company, “A Pepper is a person who loves Dr Pepper. So a Pepper can be anyone. And any age. Because being a Pepper is really more a state of mind than a counting of years. The only thing about a Pepper that’s sure is their absolute craving for originality. Even what they drink must be unique. Peppers aren’t weird, strange or oddball. They’re positive, self-confident, bold and willing to try something new. Peppers are proud. And Peppers are popular. The "Be a Pepper" series referred to fans of Dr Pepper as "Peppers" and often featured large crowd dance scenes, intricately choreographed by Tony Stevens and led onscreen by actor David Naughton.
"Out of the Ordinary" (1984-1997)
The "Out of the Ordinary" campaign (1984-1997) centered on a direct message of distinctiveness. The slogans "Out of the Ordinary. Like You" and "Hold Out For the Out of the Ordinary" spoke directly to consumers who saw themselves as unique individuals. The campaign linked Dr Pepper's distinctive flavor profile with personal identity. By emphasizing "out of the ordinary" as both a product trait and a consumer characteristic, Dr Pepper carved out a clear market position as the beverage choice for people who embraced their differences. This messaging strengthened Dr Pepper's existing brand identity as an unconventional choice in the soft drink market. The 1980s "Out of the Ordinary" advertising campaign involved a series of post-apocalyptic commercials featuring a space cowboy and an alien sidekick seeking "something different" from a simple generic cola. The campaign also produced commercials featuring the movie creature Godzilla, where citizens of a Japanese town offered Dr Pepper as a libation.
"Be You" (2002-2004)
Dr Pepper's "Be You" campaign spoke directly to its audience through a clear message: embrace who you are. Young consumers connected with this straightforward call for authenticity, finding it more genuine than typical marketing language. While other soft drink brands in the early 2000s filled their ads with extreme sports and heart-pounding action, Dr Pepper chose a different path. The campaign positioned the drink as a companion in the real, often quiet moments of finding oneself.
"Authentic Blend of 23 Flavors" (2006)
In 2006, Dr Pepper unveiled a slogan that captured its essence: "Authentic blend of 23 flavors." This phrase did more than count ingredients-it crystallized the drink's unique identity in the soft drink market. While competitors offered straightforward cola or lemon-lime flavors, Dr Pepper's complex mix created a taste that consumers found hard to categorize. By naming the specific number of flavors, the brand transformed its recipe's complexity from a potential weakness into a mark of distinction. The slogan also reinforced Dr Pepper's heritage, suggesting that its distinctive taste emerged from decades of careful formulation rather than market trends.
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"Always One of a Kind" (2012)
Dr Pepper's 2012 slogan "Always One of a Kind" reflects its distinct flavor profile.
Celebrity Endorsements and Targeted Marketing
Over the years, Dr Pepper has also utilized celebrity endorsements to enhance its brand image and appeal to specific demographics.
Donna Loren: The Dr Pepper Girl
In 1963, singer Donna Loren became a spokesperson for the company when she was selected in a nationwide search to be the "Dr Pepper Girl". National exposure followed for Loren as she promoted the drink via radio, print, television, calendars, billboards, and personal appearances. Donna Loren subsequently made hundreds of singing and personal appearances for Dr Pepper. In Dr Pepper-King of Beverages, Dr Pepper historian Harry E. Ellis wrote, "Sparkly, vivacious and gifted with a wonderful voice, Donna was an immediate success. She became widely known in a short period as "The Dr Pepper Girl", appearing at special events and on programs sponsored by the company. Miss Loren would figure prominently in Dr Pepper's plans for some five years, not only as an entertainer but doing commercials for radio and TV and appearing in many forms of advertising. Loren's role as Dr Pepper spokesperson led to her first appearance in the American International Pictures' Beach Party film Muscle Beach Party. Loren later explained: "Dr Pepper was involved in that [the Beach Party movies] and actually placed me as product placement. And because I could sing, they gave me a duet with Dick Dale, and then it just went on from there." From this, she went on to appear in three more Beach Party films. Away from the company, Loren was a familiar presence in the 1960s due to her many performances on television, films, and her record…
"Drink it slow. Doctor's orders" (2009)
As of 2009, the slogan of the product was "Drink it slow. Doctor's orders". Advertising supporting the slogan has celebrities with famous relations to the word "doctor" (Dr. Dre, Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Gene Simmons (writer of the Kiss song "Calling Dr. Love"), et al.) or who played fictional doctors (such as Neil Patrick Harris or Kelsey Grammer) endorsing the beverage. The ads culminate with the celebrity stating, "Trust me. I'm a doctor."
Dr Pepper Ten: Marketing to Men
The introduction of Dr Pepper Ten in 2011 featured a marketing campaign targeting men, citing market research suggesting that most diet soft drinks had been perceived as appealing primarily to women. The product's branding featured a masculine appearance and gunmetal colors, and promotional campaigns that featured the slogan "It's Not for Women", which gained some controversy for its promotional sexism. This low calorie version of the iconic soft drink was said to preserve the original’s classic twenty-three flavors while containing only ten calories. Though not explicitly stated on the can or in any advertisements, the product is a diet soda. Decidedly more unambiguous was that men were the targeted end-user of the product. To quell alleged stereotypes about American men, which suggested that they cared little about their appearance, and to act upon internal research that revealed men were apprehensive about being seen drinking diet sodas, Dr Pepper created a new campaign for the soda directed toward men by introducing the slogan: “It’s not for women.” There was nothing subtle about either the slogan or the commercial. They were both developed to create controversy and chatter, but were cloaked in humor that was too over-the-top to be taken seriously. Although seemingly aimed to be offensive to women, men had more justifiable reasons to be insulted. The futuristic lasers zing through a dark dense jungle setting at the opening of Dr Pepper’s television advertisement for Dr Pepper TEN. Myriad explosions ignite randomly as a man wielding a ray gun races through the bush while being fired at from multiple angles. Fearless, the man addresses the camera: “Hey ladies!” he says with a condescending smile, “enjoying the film?” Making it crystal clear that the question was rhetorical, he answers it after pausing to kill an evil robotic snake with a snap of his hand: “Of course not!” he confidently proclaims. Continuing to run while under fire, he yells, “because this is our movie!” and then jumps off of a cliff landing perfectly in a rugged jeep. Driving away, the man states “and Dr Pepper TEN is our soda!” Safe for the moment, the man more calmly describes that the soda has only ten “manly calories” while retaining “all twenty-three of Dr Pepper’s favors.” Struggling to pour himself a glass of Dr Pepper TEN on the bumpy jungle road, the protagonist suddenly ditches the can behind his back, which triggers a trap that injures his final three pursuers. The Dr Pepper TEN commercial operates under a couple of societal assumptions constructed through the lens of a stereotypical American man in an over the top, tongue-in-cheek style. Although the commercial formally addresses women from the first spoken words “Hey ladies!” to the last message that “It’s not for women,” the product itself is clearly targeted towards men. This is accomplished by playing on two common male behaviors as referenced in Freeman and Merskin’s article “Having it His Way,” which discusses masculinity in fast-food television advertising. The commercial employs the masculine stereotype of men having a “propensity towards violence and danger” that is “exciting” (460). This is seen throughout the commercial leading up to when the main character tosses an empty can that sets off a trap disabling his final three pursuers. Just as plainly represented is the “danger as fun” behavior; from the moment the man in the commercial first speaks, it is obvious that he is having a blast. Upon first examination of this advertisement one is tempted to make a judgment, based on more stereotypical views of modern advertising, that only conventional male typecasts are being depicted and women are simultaneously being discredited and insulted. After all, the protagonist makes a direct implication that women would like neither the soda nor the type of movie being represented, and an indirect implication that women lack both the courage and the ability to have fun. This stereotype is reinforced by the fact that only men are featured in the commercial and that they all embody the masculinity consistent with the 1970 study referenced in “Having it His Way.” This study concluded that men are made out to be more self-ruling than women in advertisements, more dominating in their occupations, and greater voices of authority in the public sphere. In addition, the commercial appears to take these gender stereotypes a step further by insultingly discrediting things that are associated with women (e.g. Upon further and closer inspection, however, it becomes apparent that the ad was actually spoofing men in equal if not greater measure. The so called “film” that the man asked the ladies if they were enjoying is an embarrassing encapsulation of bad clichés found in the worst movies targeted towards men: red eyed evil snakes; laser shots improbably missing their target; an impossible leap from a cliff into the passenger seat of a truck; and putting an end to the threat of three potential assassins with a simple toss of an empty soda can. Further, the ad makes the main character seem bumbling in his attempts to pour the contents of the featured product into a glass and losing most of the soda he is promoting in the process. This was the brilliance of the advertisement. Its script appears initially to degrade women thus justifying Freeman and Merskin’s conclusion that the objectification of women used in many ads “may in fact be a backlash against the empowerment American women have achieved in the centuries’ old struggle for women’s rights” (473). But as the ad rolls on, women surely get the last laugh. Not only does the commercial justifiably make fun of typical men’s cherished movies, but it also portrays men as shallow simpletons who are not secure enough to purchase diet sodas and cannot even enjoy the very product they claim is “not for women” because they are too clumsy to pour it accurately into a glass. The message to women is that apparently, Dr. Deutsch, the advertising agency that created the campaign for Dr Pepper TEN, lists in its beliefs that “people don’t look for ads. They look for authentic content that entertains and educates in quick doses…Everything has to be entertaining or useful - or both” (Deutsch). In creating the Dr Pepper TEN ad, and more specifically the slogan, Deutsch not only provided an entertaining commercial, but also one that was guaranteed to get people talking. By initially appearing to head boldly and immediately down the well-trod path of so many other advertisements that degrade women, they were guaranteeing a spirited reaction that would raise awareness of the product for their client. But they cleverly allow the commercial to evolve into a very transparent spoof that makes fun of the gender stereotypes of both men and women with the weight tipped toward the former. In the playful and humorous process, they encourage both sexes to try the new product; women because “it’s not for women” and men because “it’s not for women.” In the apparent smokescreen, a memorable good-natured ad was created to raise awareness-for men and women alike-that one can now enjoy the taste of a Diet Dr Pepper without worrying about societal gender norms.
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