Monday, October 17, 2011

"It's Not for Women"


Dear Dr. Pepper Ten,

I recently found Dr. Pepper Ten at my grocery store and purchased a case.  I love trying new products and I'm a huge Dr. Pepper fan, so I was excited to check it out.  I thought it was delicious and planned to buy it again soon.

Today, I was watching football with my husband and noticed that Dr. Pepper Ten was a sponsor.  Then I saw the Dr. Pepper Ten tagline, "It's Not for Women."

Here's the deal, Dr. Pepper Ten.  I understand that you're trying to let men know it's OK to drink diet soda.  I really do.  However, I really think you missed the mark on this campaign.  Here's why:

  1. In my household, I do 90% of the grocery shopping, so I (the woman) am responsible for deciding what goes into that cart.  If I don't buy it, my husband isn't going to drink it - no matter how "manly" it is.   And honestly, most of the women I know do the majority of the grocery shopping for their families.
  2. My husband has been drinking diet soda for years - he's far more likely to purchase it than I am.  It has never once crossed his mind that drinking diet soda is girly in any way.  In fact, most men I know drink diet soda.  My husband also drinks light beer with absolutely no qualms whatsoever.

I work in the financial services industry and every single day, I have to fight to prove that I am just as good as the men in my organization.  I am not alone in this.  With all the unfairness and discrimination in the world today,  I don't think it needs to come from the beverages we drink.

I understand that you have a choice as to what ads you run, but I also have a choice as to what I spend my money on. And thanks to this offensive ad campaign,  I'm thinking Diet Mountain Dew is going to be my new thing.

Sincerely,

Eljabo

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