Dr Pepper Ten: 'No women allowed'

[pintobean]

NEW YORK - Dudes don't drink diet.

Or at least that's the idea behind Dr Pepper Ten, a new 10-calorie soft drink with a macho ad campaign that proclaims "It's not for women." The soft drink was developed after the company's research found that men shy away from diet drinks that aren't perceived as "manly" enough.

To appeal to men, Ten has calories and sugar, unlike its Diet Dr Pepper counterpart. Instead of the dainty tan bubbles on the diet can, Ten is wrapped in gunmetal gray packaging with silver bullets. And while Diet DP's marketing is women-friendly, the ad campaign for Ten goes out of its way to eschew women.

The Dr Pepper Ten Facebook page for men only offers a shooting gallery where visitors shoot things like high heels and lipstick, for example. The page's "man quiz" includes questions on fishing and hunting.

TV commercials are heavy on the machismo, including one spot that shows muscular men in the jungle battling snakes and bad guys. "Hey ladies. Enjoying the film? Of course not. Because this is our movie, and this is our soda," a man says as he attempts to pour the soda into a glass during a bumpy ATV ride. "You can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We're good."

http://www.chron.com/life/article/Dr-Pepper-Ten-No-women-allowed-2215789.php#photo-1660085

[hlthe2b]

1. Utterly stupid...

But, I just might wonder about a guy I saw drinking this. ;)

[rucky]

2. FAIL

[virgogal]

3. Marketing is marketing is marketing. Who cares?

[Initech]

4. Fail: Man-centric advertising is getting incredibly annoying.

Miller Lite, Slim Jims, Axe Body Spray, Old Spice, and now Dr. Pepper added to the "you're not a man if you don't buy our shit" list. I'm a guy and I think this is getting really old. :puke:

[ProgressiveProfessor]

6. Such campaigns are becoming more common which infers that they

are considered successful.

I find most ads annoying, regardless of spin.

[OneTenthofOnePercent]

9. Dude, I love the Old Spice and High Life commercials

[yawnmaster]

18. Watch the video...there is parody of those "other" man commercials. eom

[Initech]

20. OK now if they're making fun of those other ads... that is interesting.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

5. Interesting marketing approach for an already niche soda

Anyone else remember the original diet soda called Tab? Very targeted marketing to women. Be interesting to see if it works and the public reactions to the campaign.

[bullwinkle428]

7. Tab is still on the market, but its popularity began to go downhill

in 1982 when Diet Coke was introduced.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tab_%28soft_drink%29

[ProgressiveProfessor]

22. I have not seen Tab in years

Had the weirdest after taste, or so I thought at the time.

After living overseas for so long, US sodas just don't cut it anymore, not that I need to be drinking them anyway.

[FarLeftFist]

8. Add another ad exec to the unemployment line.

[pintobean]

12. That's what I was thinking.

[yawnmaster]

19. I don't think so. "controversy" makes it successful. eom

[ZombieHorde]

10. The psychodynamic theory of gender identity claims

boys who grow up with without a regular male role-model (father works often, boyfriend split, etc.) will often define their masculinity as not-femininity, so anything "feminine" is viewed as an attack on their gender identity.

[BOG PERSON]

26. isn't that what masculinity has always been anyway

i.e. not-femininity.

edit - that's not correct. i don't know what masculinity was before, but it's what masculinity now seems to be - especially in postindustrial societies where work is dead and the institution of the family grows weaker and weaker, and defining such things has become the domain of advertising.

[ZombieHorde]

32. Masculinity in the US does seem to be mostly about not being feminine to me. nt

[seabeyond]

28. yes but even worse, ... there must be an amount of insult to female to truly feel the man.

my two sons happen to walk in as i am reading the thread. they both said, well, .... not gonna get dr pepper for a while. lol. i told them, ya, coca cola sells the product int his area.

ah man... no coke either. lol

[ZombieHorde]

33. Sadly, I have to agree with you.

An ugly truth, but truth none the less.

[seabeyond]

45. sigh...

thank you, ZH.

[Odin2005]

37. That explains a lot of Gen-X sexist wing-nut men.

Gen-Xers were kids when the 70s tidal wave of divorce and broken families happened.

[seabeyond]

46. +1. ya...

it means something. but something happened beginning of this decade.

[SpiralHawk]

48. The onslaught of soul-twisting corporate mindf*ckery in these ads

is a definite factor in that thread of degeneracy. Dark shit.

[Taverner]

63. As a Gen-Xer, I disagree

Although we were defined by our rejection of spoon-fed ethics, Feminism was a huge part of our culture. The whole idea of "reclaiming language" was a Gen-X movement. At times it misfired (womyn, etc) but at other times it really hit the mark.

The one thing that sat at the core of the Gen-X ethos, was that of nihilism. Meaning was created, not inherent.

[NeedleCast]

11. Meh, Doesn't Peg My Outrage Meter

[pintobean]

13. The stupid tickles my funny bone.

[Angry Dragon]

14. a man says as he attempts to pour the soda into a glass

a real man drinks from the can

[yawnmaster]

17. as it's spilling all over...while in a jeep! lol tongue-in-cheek. eom

[seabeyond]

29. lol adn pulls the tab off with his teeth. nt

[Darth_Kitten]

15. Is this like Mennen Speed Stick?

:evilgrin:

[yawnmaster]

16. Just watched the video. It is, OBVIOUSLY, tongue-in-cheek...

and it's successful in one sense, as this is the first I've heard of it.
The "controversy" has worked and gotten free advertising.
not tongue-in-cheek? come-on the guy is spilling the dr pepper as he pours it into a glass...while riding in a jeep.
A glass???
lol

[seabeyond]

30. never mind. found it. thanks. nt

[yawnmaster]

21. The more I think about it, the funnier it is, and I'm thinking a successful campaign...

10 BOLD calories...10 whole calories!!!
that in itself is part of the joke.
Drinking from a glass?

There are probably more...
I heavily suspect the jokes are intentional, looking at past DP commercials.

If not, it is a fail, but I think otherwise.

[Lucky Luciano]

23. I think Coke Zero and their black can did this first. nt

[fishwax]

24. sounds pretty lame n/t

[BOG PERSON]

25. it's for morons!

if you're a moron, this is the soft drink for you! non-morons stay away! ten moronic calories!

[Lucinda]

27. The video is campy. I liked it.

:)

[seabeyond]

31. found it. not impressed. nt

[Odin2005]

34. *DOUBLE-FACEPALM*

[Renew Deal]

35. That can needs truck nuts.

[Skittles]

36. I tried it; it is not good

I was not impressed and I LOVE diet Dr Pepper

[Quantess]

38. Dr. Penis?

I predict EVERYONE will be too embarrassed to buy Dr. Pepper For Men. It's just too dumb.

[cherokeeprogressive]

39. "Strong enough for a man, but MADE for a woman." I don't remember the outrage.

Funny how things change.

[Quantess]

42. That's because it's deodorant.

The slogan and the theme behind it isn't dumb, as it is in this Dr Pepper For Men. Embarrassingly dumb!

[cherokeeprogressive]

43. It's a "product", marketed to a specific segment of society.

Deodorant is a unisex product. On the other hand, trucks are marketed to men and Miatas were marketed to women. No one complains.

What would you say if FDS were marketed to men, by a man, who said "Does the smell of your woman turn you off? That USED to happen to me. Now, before we're intimate, I ask MY woman to shower, shave, and FDS... make YOUR woman buy FDS... and enjoy sex again..."?

[Quantess]

44. Deodorant is a gray area.

Women's and men's sweat smell slightly different, and men tend to have a little stronger odor under the same circumstances. So there's some basis for it, arguably.

Soda pop, otoh, is one of those "image" dominant products that have to be advertised the hell out of to their target demographics. You drink soda pop because you like the taste, not because it has a pink ribbon or a manly-man tag on it.

It reminds me of my former roommate who said "only chicks eat yogurt". It is true that yogurt commercials are targeted to women, and occasionally you see a man secretly raiding his wife's yogurt stash.

I had no idea regular Diet Dr. Pepper was seen as a women's drink. I don't think it is! There's no need to make a Diet Dr. Pepper that is safe for men to drink. The silliness is overwhelming.

[seabeyond]

49. lol, my 3 guys eat yogurt. me, not so much. that is funny. i hadnt thought of that.

good thing they dont think about shit like that. i had forgotten the mentality yogurt is for girls. ah ha

[seabeyond]

47. there is no dissing of men in this. actually the opposite. it is GOOD enough for men

so you women want to use it. dr p is, go away women, not for you. two different attitude that feeds a conditioned behavior. being man desirable. being woman not desirable.

[Liquorice]

40. Can you imagine if the ad said, "It's not for white people," or "It's not for

black people"? Unlike racism, sexism is almost always accepted, especially if it's done within the context of humor. If women don't like it and don't think it's funny, they are just no fun and need to loosen up!

[Mimosa]

41. Aimed at the guys who never had dads or male role models.

This type of approach of a sales angle is well researched. So many males today come from broken families and subliminally long for 'masculinity' if the old school.

I can't trash it because I understand it. It's not genuinely sexist. It's a psychological 'angle' to sell a product.

[yawnmaster]

57. did you even see the video??? That is not who it is aimed at. eom

[BlueIris]

50. Misogyny RULZ!!!

:sarcasm:

Lamest ads ever.

[southernyankeebelle]

51. Funny all the men in my life drink diet sodas. This is so silly.

[yawnmaster]

58. it is successful then, as it is meant to be silly. eom

[BOG PERSON]

59. agreed, modern masculinity is a joke

[BiggJawn]

52. Yorkie Bar...

A chocolate bar in the UK that says it's "Not for GIRLS".

Madisdon Avenue must have a very low opinion of men, given the way we're portrayed as downright STUPID in most ads.

Oh, and don't forget to seek medical help if it's up more than 4 hours...

[seabeyond]

53. i was listening to NPR about shortage of pharmaceutical drugs.

viagra was the top selling and in no shortage. lol. what? really?

and the majority is with men with no health issues.

per discussion.

[octothorpe]

54. Well they had to have known there would be some sort of backlash for this...

I guess they weighed it and figured the positive would outweigh the negative... Either that or someone seriously lacks foresight.

[ProfessionalLeftist]

55. Utterly juvenile and smacks of male insecurity. n/t

[Hepburn]

56. FAIL

GIANT FAIL.

What a dumb idea.

[AngkorWot]

60. I haven't been so upset since Secret deodorant was made strong enough for a man

but they only made it for women.

[seabeyond]

61. repeating, made for men... cause it is good. coke for men, cause women are not good enough

two different things.

this is about shooting the heels and lipstick. women are not good enough to be drinking this soda.

the deodrant, hey all... it is GOOD enough for men, so you women, too, can use it.

not the same

[Taverner]

62. What a dumb ad campaign

Yeah - marginalizing 50% of potential customers is a GREAT idea....