A Look At Dr.Pepper

When thinking about the soft drink industry, the big names like Coca-Cola and Pepsi immediately stand out in every ones’ minds.  Dr.Pepper is usually not first to jump out at consumers, and if they want to change this Dr. Pepper is going to have to step up their advertising game.  Their newest commercials feature Paul Sr. from the T.V. show American Chopper. 

 I do not think this was a good move for a few reasons.  First, Dr.Pepper really limited their ability to affect consumers with this commercial.  The main idea of the commercial is to define what Dr.Pepper tastes like, and ultimately they decide that it has a one-of-a-kind flavor and there is nothing quite like it.  I actually really like their main message in this commercial because they are setting themselves apart from their competition (Pepsi and Coca-Cola).  I do not agree with their actor choice for this commercial.  Paul Sr. is only going to be recognizable to viewers who watch American Chopper.  This is limited to mainly older men.  That is okay if that is the group that Dr.Pepper wants to target, but it gets worse.  Not only is their target audience very small, but there has been much controversy over the cast of American Chopper after Paul Sr. has stopped working with this son Paul Jr., and instead, now competes with him.  This has probably greatly divided fans of the show making the audience that likes Paul Sr. even smaller.  Other recent Dr.Pepper commercials for Dr.Pepper Cherry have featured Fergie. 

In my opinion, this is the better way to go.  First, she is a big star who everyone can recognize.  She also appeals to both genders; obviously to girls who look up to her, and to boys sexually.  This commercial has a much larger capability to reach a greater audience than the commercial with Paul Sr.  If Dr.Pepper really wants to be competitive with Pepsi and Coca-Cola, they are going to have to go back to the drawing board and come out with a consistent campaign that reaches a larger share of new consumers.