“When we pursue universal principles in food, we aren’t just making an error, we are actually doing ourselves a massive disservice.” ~ Howard Moscowitz
Many years ago, Howard Moscowitz made a huge consumer insight discovery. When Diet Pepsi was first introduced, the developers sought to find the “Perfect Pepsi” by asking customers what sweetness they preferred in a Diet Pepsi by giving them various samples. However, when the results came back and there was no one level of sweetness that customers preferred, Howard soon had a revolution and realized that there wasn’t one perfect Pepsi but perfect Pepsis.
When I stopped over at the Sundry the other night for a drink and some munchies before I hit the library, I noticed a new drink in the cooler – Dr. Pepper 10. “Interesting,” I thought, “why would Dr. Pepper produce a semi-diet drink with 10 calories? Why drink the extra calories if you don’t have to?” Then, my thoughts reverted back to the TED talk I watched in class. It seems that Dr. Pepper has expounded on the Moscowitz’s proposition – there isn’t a perfect Dr. Pepper, but perfect Dr. Peppers.
Of course, when you look at a convenience store drink cooler, you will notice many “perfect Pepsis” – there is regular Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi One, Pepsi Max, and a few others. It seems that Pepsi has really become in-tune with its soft drink consumers. But, when you look at the variety of Dr. Peppers, the selection is fewer – Regular and Diet, but finally, the new 10.
I took a sip of a Dr. Pepper 10 the other day, and it tasted just like diet. Again, my thoughts reverted back to the Malcolm Gladwell’s TED talk. If it tastes just like diet, what is Dr. Pepper’s motive behind the product? Then I realized – where is the “Coke Zero” of the Dr. Pepper lineup? This is it – a diet soft drink targeted towards men. Now, men won’t ever feel self-conscious anymore drinking out of that Diet Dr. Pepper can (I admit, I am one of them).
As I was browsing on Facebook that evening, I noticed a post to a friend’s wall showing a video of a new Dr. Pepper 10 Commercial. I was pleased to see that this commercial supported my hunch that this new Dr. Pepper was targeted towards men. The marketing is spot on, and the commercial even goes so far as to say, “Dr. Pepper – not for women!” Dr. Pepper has done a great job in introducing this product into the soft drink market. Though it is only in a few tests markets right now, Dr. Pepper has segmented this product extremely well and made it clear who the target audience is. To the male Diet Dr. Pepper drinkers – you may soon find yourself reaching for that new Dr. Pepper 10 on the shelves. My days of drinking Diet Dr. Pepper may be over.
Of course, the new Dr. Pepper 10 is all about image. I was at McDonald’s today and I caught myself trying to fill up my cup with Diet Dr. Pepper – of course, no one could see what’s in my cup – that’s fair, right? However, catch me in a convenience store, and see if I ever reach for that bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper again…Dr. Pepper 10 – “not for women!”
- Tom Looney
- Tom Looney
I really enjoyed reading this- great entry! The Dr. Pepper 10 product is kind of hilarious to me. Ten manly calories...okay. When I first read about this through your post, I scoffed at the idea and cast judgment on my opposite gender for eating (should I say drinking?) up this idea. But more importantly, you gave a perfect explanation about why this product has appeal and how PepsiCo. has further segmented the market. One question I still have is whether this campaign will alienate women. After I laughed to myself about those 10 trivial, yet manly, calories, I realized I hate asking for diet coke/dr. pepper. It makes me sound like I'm a typical weight-obsessed girl, when usually I just want a less sugary drink. I'm not on a diet- just slightly averse to sugar. And Dr. Pepper 10 sounds stupid and Pepsi already told me it's "not for women." Pepsi still hasn't found my perfect Pepsi.
ReplyDeleteDo you think the Dr. Pepper 10 is really only targeting men? In addition to attracting male customers, I think they may also be hoping for a reverse psychology effect. Instead of avoiding the drink, women may want to try it to “prove” that they are equally able to enjoy Dr. Pepper 10. They may also be curious to see what is just so “manly” about it. But I agree with Emily in that it may backfire instead and alienate women, who may get offended if they interpret the commercials as being downgrading. Good post!
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