Try More Weird’ - Dr Pepper
98% brand awareness. A cult following. And yet equity was sliding and the brand wasn't bringing in a single new drinker. That's the paradox at the heart of a lot of heritage brands: everyone knows you, nobody's trying you.
What we leaned into was the thing Dr Pepper had always been slightly embarrassed about, its own weirdness. Twenty-three flavours nobody can quite name. A strange origin story. A personality that's never fit neatly into a category. We decided that wasn't a problem to fix, it was what made Dr Pepper intriguing.
Novelty is good for us. It releases feel good chemicals in our brains, makes life more memorable and motivates us to do more and see more. Simply put, weird stuff is important. That became our Active Brand Platform; to get people to Try More Weird.
Unmissable OOH in year one to break a decade-long silence, a full break-time takeover in year two aimed squarely at bored Gen Z, and then Cherry Crush in year three, timed for Valentine's Day, backed by one of the first UK Netflix sponsorships and a Tinder partnership built around dating fatigue.
4.6% volume growth, which made Dr Pepper the fastest-growing Coca-Cola brand in the entire EU, ahead of bigger-budget siblings like Schweppes and Sprite. After Cherry Crush landed, the portfolio actually outsold Coke itself in key battlegrounds. Not bad for the drink everyone always thought was a bit odd.
