WANTED: Macho Drinkers Only
Allison Sparling // November 9, 2011
Watch out! This article is for men only!
Maybe that’s how I would have started this piece if I were a member of the Dr. Pepper marketing team. By now, I’m sure many have seen the infamous ads proclaiming Dr. Pepper as a diet cola “for men only”. Maybe you laughed or maybe you snarled, but it has definitely been getting strong reactions from both genders.
In an age where the fight for equality between the sexes is stronger than ever, it seems a little strange that Dr. Pepper thought potentially offending roughly half of the world’s population was a good idea. Certainly Dr. Pepper have received a huge amount of coverage for this campaign; however, they may need to think again if they believe they will thrive without repairing the damage they have caused. They may also want to think about working much more closely with public relations practitioners.
There are those who would argue that the advertisements and the social media campaign are not sexist. Of course, there are apathetic consumers who will continue to buy Dr. Pepper based on taste. There will also be the inevitable small flood of people who do not think the ad is sexist, who hate political correctness, and will drink a ten calorie cola drink just to prove they don’t care. It is fact, however, that Dr. Pepper have carved themselves a market niche that will be difficult to escape. When Dr. Pepper decided to focus their creative energy reaching out to “men only”, they may have irreversibly damaged relationships with a large portion of the women who enjoyed their product.
However, Dr. Pepper does not seem to have taken into consideration that many men actually care about women’s opinions! I know that if I am truly vexed about a product or business for any reason, be it bad advertising or unethical labor practices, I tell everyone I know. Believe it or not, my father, my boyfriend, and my brother actually listen to me! Imagine that! Guys taking a woman’s opinion seriously.
Dr. Pepper has risked putting all their eggs into one basket for a chance at brand success. Yet, all the money invested in this particular ad campaign is a flash in the pan compared to the long-term relationships they have damaged with their blatant sexism.
This campaign may have actually been relatively well-received in the 80s, and only partially because gender roles were not as flexible in that era. Now, publics can tell companies what they think, and these opinions (thanks in great part to the internet) are available to the wider public. However, it appears no forethought was put into the reaction Dr. Pepper may get on their Facebook wall. No real social media policy meant that when consumers (men and women)voiced concerns on the Dr. Pepper Facebook wall, comments were actually deleted without any explanation or justification. When fans of the page saw this happening, some began copying and saving the electronic comments they left. They would later reveal that their opinions had been deleted, though they were inoffensive. The only crime these consumers committed was dissent for the company’s advertising scheme.
This campaign is an excellent reason for the Dr. Pepper marketing team to work with their public relations team and fine-tune their message. PR professionals need to ensure that important client relationships aren’t damaged. Dr. Pepper chose a marketing ploy that dealt with gender roles–a sensitive issue. In future, perhaps they need to think about maybe, just maybe, making commercials that appeal to both men and women by being cheeky, but also respectful.
Now, doesn’t that sound refreshing?
