You know that soda company that uses the borrowed interest of celebrities in all of their ads to help sell their sugary beverages? You know, the one the soda brand that you can automatically tell the ad is for because it features a celebrity that you kinda forgot about touting the great taste and refreshing nature of their product? It’s the brand that just ditched their long-time agency.
It’s Dr Pepper.
Of course, instead of getting rid of their long-time agency for a fresh approach that moved away from the old celebrity-based ad formula like Pepsi did when they ditched BBDO for Chiat/Day, Dr Pepper ditched Y&R for Deutsch/LA.
And instead of jettisoning a played-out soda advertising stereotype, Dr Pepper just stole the one Pepsi had discarded.
I can see the Deutsch team selling this idea in:
Deutsch: Our strategy is a proven success – it worked for Pepsi for years and they have way more market share than you
Dr Pepper: True. They do have more market share. But don’t they really own the celebrity formula?
Deutsch: They did own the celebrity formula. Not anymore. Now you do.
Dr Pepper: But they spent probably a billion dollars over almost four decades connecting their brand with celebrity razzmatazz.
Deutsch: Right. And now they have stopped.
Dr Pepper: They have stopped so now we can take over their equity?
Deutsch: Exactly! We’re like the equity zombie brand, just moving in and taking a bite of what they have and irrevocably making it ours in one fell swoop! It makes sense, buy the idea
Dr Pepper: I’m convinced. Let’s make ads.
Deutsch: Dr Dre is still relevant, right? What the hell, let’s start with him…
Great Info! Thanks for the post!