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Dr Pepper Snapple Group Introduces Dr Pepper Ten, For Men Only

Category: New Food Products

Product Type: Beverages

Manufacturer: Dr Pepper Snapple Group

Dr Pepper Snapple Group gives men a reason to drink with Dr Pepper Ten. Marketed only to men, the carbonated soft drink has 2g of sugar but only 10 calories, giving it a sweeter taste but still the unique taste of Dr Pepper. There are 23 flavor ingredients in Dr Pepper's regular soda (which has 150 calories and 27g of sugar per can), and Dr Pepper Ten contains all of the same flavors.

Dr Pepper Ten is not the first diet soda aimed at men -- Coke Zero and Pepsi Max did so subtly. But Dr Pepper Ten's ad campaign is overt about courting men who want to drink a soda with fewer (but not necessarily zero) calories. After all, "dudes don't drink diet," the ad campaign says. The packaging features a distinctly masculine package design, complete with a gunmetal gray color scheme, industrial rivets and bold new font.

Consumer feedback and research indicates many men between the ages of 25 and 34 are not completely satisfied with the taste or image of diet sodas –- although they understand the need to make healthier beverage choices.

"As one of America's favorite and oldest soft drinks, Dr Pepper has been a beverage innovator for more than 125 years," says Dave Fleming, director of marketing for the Plano, Texas, company. "Men told us that they wanted a low-calorie option with the full flavor of regular Dr Pepper. I'd say these are the 10 hardest-working calories in the beverage business."

It's just one of the many beverage innovations helping DPS meet its goal to focus at least 50 percent of the products in its development pipeline on health and wellness by 2015. This includes reduced-calorie products, smaller portion sizes and improved nutritional offerings.

Sales in the $74 billon soft drink industry are slowing as more Americans buy healthier options, such as juice and bottled water, and volume has fallen from slightly over 10 billion cases in 2005 to 9.4 billion cases in 2010, according to Beverage Digest.

Dr Pepper Ten was tested in six markets in early 2011 with a macho marketing campaign that included TV commercials, radio, out-of-home advertising and in-store displays – all featuring a bold, yet tongue-in-cheek, "It's not for women" message. Results far exceeded expectations, company officials say, with Dr Pepper Ten representing nearly six percent of Dr Pepper sales throughout the test period. Now men nationwide have the chance to experience the 10 bold calories of Dr Pepper Ten.

And what about the ladies? They aren't offended by the campaign, according to Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president of market. In fact, about 40 percent of consumers who tried the soda are women. "Women get the joke," he says. " ‘Is this really for men or for women?' is a way to start the conversation that can spread and get people engaged in the product."

Company Information

Website: www.drpepper.com