My son loves Dr. Pepper. He loves it, even though I have tried several times to get him to switch to a cheaper brand. He admits that it tastes okay, but he will always choose Dr. Pepper, even though it costs more. It can’t taste that much different from knock-offs; they all use high fructose corn syrup. What is it about Dr. Pepper that makes him so loyal? I think it’s this: he wants to be a Pepper.
Being a Pepper means, in ad-speak, I’m an oddball, and it’s okay! Heck, it’s great. And there are lots more where I came from! Not only am I unique, but so is he, she, them over there, and hey, how about you? Wouldn’t you like to be a Pepper too? By the time you’re done watching attractive people soft-shoe and sing a jingle about how wonderfully different they are, of course you want to be a Pepper too! Who wouldn’t?
Dr. Pepper sells itself as a quirky drink for people who are both special and unique. This ad is from the 1980’s, but is thoroughly identified with the brand. People sing the jingle. This is why it tastes better to my son, but its flavor does not appeal to most people. Therefore, advertisers had make drinkers see themselves as more than the wierdos who like something that tastes like carbonated prune juice. Would you rather be known for drinking some odd drink, or for doing a carefree dance, tipping your hat to the world and exclaiming, "I'm a Pepper, wouldn't you like to be one, too?”I just want to know one thing. If I switched Dr. Pepper for a similar drink and put it in the Dr. Pepper bottle, would my son notice? More importantly, would he still be a Pepper?
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8 comments:
I see what you're saying, about some people that will only buy the product with their favorite brand name on it. I like Dr. Pepper too and I've tried the store brand version and I tink they taste the same. This doesn't extend to everything, though, like some store brand cereals. Also, there's more selection with brand name cereals, although they are more expensive.
- Joel
Unless you find it immoral, you should really try that experiment on your son and report back on this blog. Then maybe he'll realize they taste the same and make the switch. I really can't imagine the image being as important as the drink to him or anyone else. But hey, what do I know? Good post.
I too am a DP fan and it is by far the best soda in the world! I really liked how you included the paragraph about the jingle because I think 1, they're hilarious, and 2, they definitely play a role in more and more people beginning to drink Dr. Pepper. Maybe you could try to introduce your son to some other sodas and see how he likes them.
You hit the point dead on. We are what we eat or in this case, drink. To be honest, I never knew there was a culture for soda until the Sprite segment in Merchants of Cool and your post. Hopefully, someday we'll all get past this "cool" phase. But then again, maybe not.
That is a very interesting point! I think your exactly right about the advertising playing a big role in what your son drinks. However, maybe he likes the drink simply for the name brand. When I was younger I had to have everything with a name brand on it, simply because I was not paying for it. Now that I am in college I will take the least expensive brand out there, no matter what it is. I think you should definately put the store brand in a Dr. Pepper bottle and see what happens. It is worth a shot.
I can relate to trying a store brand thing and having it be the exact same as the name brand. I've found that in a lot of cases, the 2 products are made in the same factory by similar processes but one is sold for much cheaper without the branding that is on the other.
I also liked your point about wondering if you could put another drink in the Dr. Pepper bottle and see if he notices the difference. It would show how much we just assume that the brand name is better and store brands just aren't as good.
As Joel said, you can't extend this to everything. I've found that off-brand clothes and shoes are not even close to having the same quality so I almost always buy branded clothes because they are higher quality.
I absolutly think you should try switching the sodas on your son to see if he notices. I also agree with all the points you made. I'll admit, I am an coke fanatic, and when I am forced to drink an off brand, I too am a little displeased. Most of it I agree is the ad campians and simply the name that I am so attracted to.
Really good post. I definitely agree--a lot of times what we prefer is all in the brand. I think it might have been Coke and Pepsi that had 'taste-test' commercials a couple of years ago, and obviously everyone who took the test preferred whatever brand was marketing the commercial, but it would be really interesting to do a Dr. Pepper vs. generic brand experiment.
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