Dear Dr. Pepper,
I personally find your beverages delicious, and happen to make a majority of the purchasing decisions for my household. Thanks to your outrageous ad for Dr. Pepper 10, which I just saw last night, we will no longer drink any variety of Dr. Pepper.
Please advise.
Sincerely,
Me
P.S. Here’s the ad referenced above, just in case you outsourced this campaign to some teenage boys (although the use of “woman” rather than “girl” suggests that adults did, in fact, create the ad) and you have no clue what I’m talking about (despite this and this and this and this, and this, etc.).
P.P.S. I’m really tired of sexism-as-humor in marketing campaigns. I’m not just talking about the “not for women” thing, though I’m certainly not a fan of that idea. This whole “man up and be a manly man” shit has to stop. You’re not the first to equate a beverage with masculinity, although you’re the most straightforwardly sexist, and probably the least funny. Here are a couple of other examples of unacceptable ad campaigns, so you know what not to do when you re-do this one.
Miller Lite:
Pepsi Max:
P.P.P.S. Yes, I’m aware that companies often create outrageous advertising for the buzz and free promotion it generates. I’m also aware that this open letter generates additional promotion for the products listed above. That said, companies that gamble with such sexist messages risk alienating customers (like me and probably a lot of others), and deserve public scorn.
Readers: Have you written or read elsewhere about the new campaign for Dr. Pepper 10, or other Manly Beverages? If so, please leave your link in the comments and we’ll include it above.
Yes! Not a beverage, but the Slim Jim ads are unacceptable. Nine Deuce does an awesome write-up about them:
New Study Finds Nitrites Decrease Gayness
I say we start a boycott Dr. Pepper move. Let’s create an online petition: The Dr.’s Gotta Go!