From Zero, to the Max - Dr. Pepper 10 Steps into the Cola War to Battle for the Male Demographic

Since the 1980's, a war has been brewing - almost literally - between Coke and Pepsi.  This is nothing new.  The younger, perhaps swifter "challenger" - Pepsi (born in 1898) - made great headway in terms of chipping away at Coke's (born in 1886) commanding lead in the market through the early 21st century by positioning Pepsi as a "better tasting" cola.

More recently, however, Pepsi has seen its' market share slip, forcing a "retooling" of its marketing.  One aspect of this retooling was bringing Pepsi Max to the US as a means of pulling in male cola drinkers who are self-conscious about drinking "diet" beverages.  

According to the NY Times, Pepsi Max was introduced in Europe in the early 1990's, and made its' US debut in 2007.  

A 2009 report by Mintel, the market research firm, said the soda’s sales had been “impressive,” even during the economic downturn, “likely by attracting price-sensitive energy drink users.”

The importance of "zero calorie, 'diet' alternative" beverages in the market is considerable, and supported by the most recent entry into the war for male drinkers - Dr. Pepper 10.

Pepsi Max and Coke Zero have been somewhat subdued in their targeting of men - relying largely on conventional male humor, and masculine phrasing to indicate the targeted group.

Pepsi Max: "I'm Good," Superbowl 2009

Coke Zero: "Two Men in a Restaurant," 2006

Dr. Pepper 10, on the other hand, is taking a much bolder approach (perhaps as a nod to its' "bold" flavor) introducing the new product under the tagline,  "It's Not For Women."

The appeal of this approach is obvious - generate buzz and word of mouth.

'Is this really for men or really for women?' is a way to start the conversation that can spread and get people engaged in the product... One topic people never tire of talking or arguing about is differences between men and women, particularly if women are excluded... That will always get someone's attention.

Dr. Pepper is, however, taking a bit of a risk.  It's Facebook page for the campaign - the Ten Man'ments - has 10.6 million "likes" and counting, but has been lit up with criticism.  Here's a typical "complaint:"

Given that Dr. Pepper's own research has shown that 40% of those trying the NEW Dr. Pepper 10 are women, and earlier Pepsi research citing similiar 40/60 split in terms of female/male drinkers of Pepsi Max, the brand risks alienating a significant portion of its market.

Accordingly, Pepsi claims it has chosen to downplay gender in its messaging.  Lauren Hobart, chief marketing officer of the sparkling brands division of PepsiCo explains:

while some of our past advertising was more overtly about being the diet cola for men, there’s still a lot of women drinking Pepsi Max, so it doesn’t make sense to be so specifically gender focused.

Pepsi's "new" commercial may be a testament to the brand shaking the shackles of gender and assuming the "taste" positioning that has served the brand well in the past.

Pepsi is erring on the side of caution.  It is a brand that seeks to be all things for all people.  Looking more closely at Dr. Pepper the bold move of ruffling feathers over gender may be more attuned with how they have built their brand - to almost be an elitist, some people get it, some people don't.

As far as gender appeals go, this one may resonate more strongly with key Dr. Pepper drinkers than the lukewarm gender appeals made by Coke Zero and Pepsi Max (in the past).  It is a little ironic, however, that the brand that played on affiliation & social needs by encouraging us to "be a Pepper too" is now taking an exclusionary stance by targeting men.