That’s Mr. Pepper To You, Ladies

If you’re a woman, forget drinking the new version of Dr. Pepper. It’s for men only.

At least it’s so heavily marketed towards men that we’re safe calling the Dr. Pepper Ten (for ten “manly” calories) ad campaign an extreme example of “manvertizing.”

However, it goes beyond just targeting men. At the end of the commercial we’re told explicitly that it’s “not for women.” How rude.

Most likely, you’ve heard of Chick Beer, Girls’ Night Out wine and Mansauce, but what’s so offensive about this campaign is that while tailoring to men it blatantly discriminates against women. Health conscious men now have Dr. Pepper Ten and women can remain satisfied that they still have their beloved Diet Dr. Pepper (since they’re so concerned with their weight).

You can watch the video below, but you only need to read a few phrases to get your blood boiling. It opens with: “Hey ladies. Enjoying the film? Of course not. Because this is our movie and Dr. Pepper Ten is our soda.” Then we’re told: “So you can keep the romantic comedies and lady drinks. We’re good.”

All these brilliant lines are recited in the midst of a battle in the jungle with laser guns, a snake, motorcycles and Dr. Pepper Ten of course (packaged in a gunmetal gray can with silver bullets). How macho.

The ads are set to appear on “manly” networks like FX and ESPN. On Facebook, the Dr. Pepper Ten app actually enforces the “men only” rule by excluding women from viewing certain content. So after trying so hard to leave women in the dust, are we really supposed to take this as a joke?

How can we laugh when we just end up pissed off and/or confused? The campaign excludes women yet addresses them directly at the same time.

Whether you love it or hate it, you can’t deny that the ad reinforces gender stereotypes and lacks any sort of subtlety. In fact, I wonder whether it even appeals to men.

Anything but Mr. Pepper, please.

Contact the author here: tinybart@morningquickie.com