It's Not For Women
Oct. 26th, 2011 05:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
foolish_m0rtalClearly I need to stop watching Die Hard re-runs at Christmas (what? It's a Christmas movie!) and start investing in weepy Lifetime movies. I suppose this is meant to be an over-exaggerated piece of absurdity, as seen in previous successful commercials such as the Old Spice man and The Most Interesting Man in the World pieces. But Dr. Pepper has managed to mangle it and instead make an incredibly polarising commercial with dubious humour. I'm the first one to step up and laugh at blatantly sexist jokes, because I'm not one to take everything seriously, and I know that it's said tongue-in-cheek. This commercial, however, left me baffled.
I understand that they are trying to market a 'diet' soda to men, and diet is usually marketed to women, so they have to make the drink sound 'manly.' (Do men really get teased for drinking diet soda? I've...never come across this issue. Anyone who gives a damn about trivial things like what you're drinking should be punched straight away) But while diet drinks for women don't blatantly say, "Men, this is not for you," Dr. Pepper's Ten ad tells women exactly that. Therein lies the issue, at least for me. In all fairness, I think the 'stupid husband' gags in commercials marketed for women deserve the same scorn.
Okay, the real issue for me is that apparently women who try to enter the Dr. Pepper Ten page on Facebook are blocked and told that it's "Not For Women." Because, WHOA, really? (Maybe they changed this after complaints, because I was able to get in) That's actually cutting down your consumer base. Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper, says that 'women will get the joke,' but the Facebook thing goes way beyond a joke. What the hell?
I understand that they are trying to market a 'diet' soda to men, and diet is usually marketed to women, so they have to make the drink sound 'manly.' (Do men really get teased for drinking diet soda? I've...never come across this issue. Anyone who gives a damn about trivial things like what you're drinking should be punched straight away) But while diet drinks for women don't blatantly say, "Men, this is not for you," Dr. Pepper's Ten ad tells women exactly that. Therein lies the issue, at least for me. In all fairness, I think the 'stupid husband' gags in commercials marketed for women deserve the same scorn.
Okay, the real issue for me is that apparently women who try to enter the Dr. Pepper Ten page on Facebook are blocked and told that it's "Not For Women." Because, WHOA, really? (Maybe they changed this after complaints, because I was able to get in) That's actually cutting down your consumer base. Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper, says that 'women will get the joke,' but the Facebook thing goes way beyond a joke. What the hell?
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no subject
Date: 2011-10-27 01:07 am (UTC)I stopped buying them, it annoys me that much.
I don't care what any marketing campaign says I'm not going to be watching chick flicks *shudder* - make room on the sofa I LOVE the Die Hard films!
As for the 'diet' drinks, that boat has sailed it's all 'zero' drinks now. Is that just in the UK then? Lilt/Dr Pepper/Fanta, Coke started it apparently men connect diets with women so they've re-branded 'Real taste, Zero calories' or something similiar. Working in a supermarket I can tell you it works too, have had men refuse to buy diet when we ran out of zero despite me pointing out it's the same damn drink with a different colour label!
and bluergh I hate the saccaharine taste of diet drinks whatever they choose to call them.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-27 01:49 am (UTC)Mm, I don't like soft drinks in general, but I have seen other 'diet' things ruined. Someone gave me diet instead of regular yoghurt once (I suppose they thought since I was a girl, I would prefer the diet?) and it was a strange shiny colour and terrible. Diet cream cheese, oh god no.
no subject
Date: 2011-10-27 07:58 pm (UTC)*Hugs you* I don't like anything with 'diet' in the title...(which may connect with my need to be on one but we'll ignore that!)