Maybe its because I'm the only guy in a house with 3 other women or I'm just secure enough of a man, but I just don't get the whole "manly" advertising of some companies. The latest attempt at advertising directly to men is Dr. Pepper Ten. When I first saw this commercial it just made me laugh. The overt machoism and sexism is way over the top. Which I guess is what Dr. Pepper is going for. But what are they really communicating with this ad?
First off, they are saying that most men are so insecure about being a man that they can't drink diet pop because its too feminine. Which is exactly what their research told them. Really guys. Look, I don't drink diet pop, not because I'm afraid to, but I just can't stand the taste of it. Not sure why guys would be afraid to drink diet pop if they were okay with the taste, but insecurities are a good way to market products - at least that is what Dr. Pepper thinks.
Secondly, Dr. Pepper is communicating that they really don't mind about being sexist, at least when it comes to this product. Interestingly, they said that they did a test market in several areas and about 40% of those trying Dr. Pepper Ten were women because they "got the joke." I wonder if they watch SNL's mocking of the Shake-a-weight when thinking about getting the joke.
What I would be concerned about as a business is offending 50% of my potential client base. So, we'll have to see if people will look at this and just laugh about it or if people will get offended.
I would mostly like to see soft-drink companies make a diet soft drink that doesn't taste aweful. Maybe Dr. Pepper Ten did - so maybe I will try it...
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