On April 1, 2013, Dr. Pepper aired the “Mountain Man” commercial promoting its new soda, Dr. Pepper Ten (iSpot.tv). The advertising agency, Deutsch Inc., partnered with Imperial Woodpecker Productions to influence the male population to consume this new low-calorie soda by making the commercial a parody of the 1970 sitcom, Grizzly Adams. The Dr. Pepper Ten campaign aired on different networks but primarily aired on sports channels to target the intended male audience (“Dr. Pepper Ten Soft Drink Targets Men”). This Dr. Pepper Ten ad contains several generalizations of masculinity to promote its product directly to men. For fear of alienating women, the company attempts to mix humor with the advertisement. Because …show more content…
For this reason, Dr. Pepper chooses a secluded campsite in the mountains for the setting where a man can be “wild and free.” They use specific macho features to appeal directly to men. For example, the man appears in brown pants and long sleeves. He has long, untrimmed hair with a full beard and mustache. Thus, his appearance reminds people of the 70’s sitcom, Grizzly Adams. The company portrays the man as a burly creature walking around the forest, snapping bark off trees to eat, standing in a raging river, and becoming one with nature. Ordinarily, individuals who enjoy this primitive style camping tend to be strong and rugged; two specific characteristics of what society deems to be a masculine man. Therefore, Dr. Pepper exploits this stereotype about men to entice them to purchase this beverage. Along with the man, the advertisement only features two additional living species in the commercial: a hawk and a bear. The hawk appears when the man calls to him by howling from the mountain top. He retrieves a Dr. Pepper Ten can from the river and drops it directly into the man’s hand. In addition to the hawk, Dr. Pepper shows a bear in the background of the river scene and at the end of the commercial, the bear is smiling while paddling the canoe with the man. Exactly like the sitcom, Grizzly Adams, the …show more content…
Pepper made a daring attempt to introduce a new product made specifically for men without sounding insulting to women. Even though most advertisements for diet sodas target women, this ad campaign strongly proposes that it is possible for men to drink Dr. Pepper Ten and remain, or become, a confident, intelligent male creature that demands the respect of his peers. Despite the controversial audience reactions, the soda company renders that their product is extremely masculine and it represents all the qualities of a strong, intellectual man. Nevertheless, can a beverage choice truly define a