Kevin David Creative

Hey fellas. Are you looking for the refreshing taste of an ice cold can of soda but you’re worried about being emasuclated in the process? Boy, do I have a product for you.

Diet soda was introduced in the United States in the 1950s as an alternative to full-calorie, sugary drinks for those looking to lose weight. And because men had more important things to do like chain smoking over three martini lunches, ad agencies focused on women as the target market.

Fast forward to 2011. Dr. Pepper’s internal research found that men were hesitant to purchase beverages like light beer and diet soda because, after all, they needed those precious calories for long days spent chopping down trees and shoeing horses. Whether insecurities played a part remains a mystery.

To combat this unfounded fear, they decided the best offense is a good offensive. Dr. Pepper 10, featuring 10 manly calories and just enough sugar to make sure no one questions your ability to win at arm wrestling.

Oh, and no girls allowed.

Decked out in gunmetal grey, Dr. Pepper 10 was here to punch your husband in the tastebuds and give women the vapors.

Please enjoy this Dr. Pepper 10 commercial from 1958 (EDITOR’S CORRECTION: 2011):

“Hey ladies. Enjoying the film? Of course not,” the ad begins. “Because this is our movie and this is our soda,” a man says as he attempts to pour the soda into a glass (apparently not macho enough to drink straight from the can) during a direct-to-video action movie jungle sequence complete with deadly snakes and laser guns. “You can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We’re good.”

Cool, bro.

The campaign also included an app that spat out “man’ments” such as “Thou Shalt Not Pucker Up. Kissy faces are never manly,” and “Thou Shalt Not Make a ‘Man-Gagement’ Album.” No need for a relationship. The rugged stubble of Dr. Pepper 10 was all the affection you’d need from now on.

In an interview with Advertising Age, Jim Treblicock, executive vice president of marketing, rationalized that, “Women get the joke. ‘Is this really for men or really for women?’ is a way to start the conversation that can spread and get people engaged in the product.”

Speaking of rationalizing, Dave Fleming, the director of marketing, said that he was not out to alienate women, and that the goal was “to be direct and have fun.”

The campaign was a disaster with its clear message that if girls just wanted to have fun, they’d have to find a different party. Ultimately, consumers were more indifferent than offended. Despite being “in on the joke,” women gladly accepted that they were forbidden from even looking at a case of Dr. Pepper 10 while men buried their feelings deep down and stuck with the original.

In marketing, it’s always important to read the room. Or, at the very least, have a woman in it when deciding on a multimillion dollar branding strategy.