Dr. Pepper is trying out a new marketing technique with the launch of their new product, Dr. Pepper Ten.
The just-launched soda, targeted toward men, is only 10 “manly” calories and has a small amount of sugar, unlike their popular diet version of Dr. Pepper.
Dr. Pepper Ten’s marketing advertisements are not only geared toward men, but designed to purposely exclude women. In fact, “Not for Women” is their tag line.
As a woman, I don’t see a problem with this, nor am I offended in any way. I love, love, love Dr. Pepper and drink their diet version all the time. I still want to try Dr. Pepper Ten, but I’m more than happy to let the men have those 10 calories while I stick to the zero-calorie version on a regular basis.
Still, the marketing technique for this launch has caused quite a controversy. The Facebook page for Dr. Pepper 10 has received a lot of feedback, some against the ads and some in support of them.
From a Facebook user named Kelly:
“I can’t even begin to describe how sexist this product is and if any woman has respect for herself and women in general, she’ll refrain from buying and participating in Dr. Pepper’s gender discrimination”
Conversely, a Facebook user named Heather said:
“Lol I love how so many girls are on here freaking out because of the new advertisement and saying they will not drink Dr. Pepper anymore. Dr. Pepper is still my favorite drink, I see nothing wrong with the advertisement. Seriously I think people get offended too easily.”
What are your thoughts about Dr. Pepper Ten? Did they go too far by blatantly telling women their product isn’t for them? Or do you think this is a funny, tongue-in-cheek way to get people talking about the launch of Dr. Pepper’s newest soda?
Watch one of Dr. Pepper 10’s ads here