Dr. Pepper 10's Commercial "It's not for women!"

[random_thought]

So I live in one of the test cities for this new product- Dr. Pepper 10. Fine. Great. Until you see the commercial...do you find this sexist? I was left speechless when I saw this!!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid78974503001?bctid=795358741001

 

[oneandahalfrock]

From a marketing standpoint, I do understand what they're trying to do- I'm assuming based off their marketing research, they've found the majority of diet soda drinkers are female, therefore making diet sodas seem feminine. With a limited amount of males drinking diet soda currently, they're trying to expand into a 'untapped' market.
But the commercial is just stupid and being a female who only drinks diet soda when she drinks soda at all (which isn't often- more of a bottled water and tea type of person), I have little desire to try their product after that commercial.
"10 manly calories.." really?

 

[somethingshiny]

I'm not even a little offended. I think it's funny. Men are so against Diet soda that it has to be marketed as a super-macho-man 10 calorie drink. Obviously it was meant in jest, the guy even said "catch phrase."

Should men be offended by chocolate commercials? Most of those show a woman enjoying her sweet and never mention a man.

 

[kenny]

People today are jaded and hardened to advertising.
We ignore it.

They have to work harder and harder to get our attention.
They succeeded.

 

[ksinger]

I'm not even a little offended. I think it's funny. Men are so against Diet soda that it has to be marketed as a super-macho-man 10 calorie drink. Obviously it was meant in jest, the guy even said "catch phrase."

Should men be offended by chocolate commercials? Most of those show a woman enjoying her sweet and never mention a man.

Freaking hilarious. I think it's funny too, and not offensive at all. A trifle pathetic maybe, but I'm not moved to boycott Dr. Pepper Co. because of it. I haven't had a Dr. Pepper in years though, so I guess it might be moot.

You know, after all those years of reading feminist works, I came to the conclusion that "masculinity" is a very fragile mental/social construct, far more fragile than trying to define what it means to be a woman. And it is almost always couched in negative terms involving women, as in the definitions always involve some strongly expressed distancing from that which is considered female or feminine. You see that very thing in the ad. I mean really, how often do you feel that your femininity is in question by those around you (or CARE) when you drink/eat/do/purchase particular things. Women most generally don't define themselves as being what males are NOT. Of course there could be some valid psychological I-gotta-differentiate-from-The-Great-Scary-Goddess-MOM reasons for some of it, but still, when you get to the other side of being annoyed by the implied disdain of ads like that, it's still kind of sad.

 

[Tuckins1]

I'm not really offended... It's too stupid to be offensive. Really. Stupid.

 

[iLander]

This is just marketing and you did exactly what they hoped you would do: you found it offensive and passed it on to others so they could see it. With any luck, the marketers are hoping it will REALLY make someone mad and it will show up in the news or at least a few blogs. They are hoping they can create buzz.

Meanwhile, it's condescending to men and it doesn't make it appear appetizing to anyone. When the commercial is done, the lame package design (it really is very bad, poorly designed) does nothing to add to the appeal.

The whole thing is kind of amateur hour.

 

[ksinger]

This is just marketing and you did exactly what they hoped you would do: you found it offensive and passed it on to others so they could see it. With any luck, the marketers are hoping it will REALLY make someone mad and it will show up in the news or at least a few blogs. They are hoping they can create buzz.

Meanwhile, it's condescending to men and it doesn't make it appear appetizing to anyone. When the commercial is done, the lame package design (it really is very bad, poorly designed) does nothing to add to the appeal.

The whole thing is kind of amateur hour.

ilander, do you not see that this is camp of the first degree? It's supposed to be amateur hour...

I bet you most guys think it's hilarious. Most men don't go around getting offended every 15 minutes like (apparently, judging by the number of threads of this nature) women, since getting their feelings hurt all the time is one of those things that isn't considered "masculine". One of the better traits of that fragile construct if you ask me. Heck, we may even be able to just chalk that one up the way guys ARE. They're still probably not going to drink Dr Pepper 10, but it's a funny add sending up jungle/martial arts/sci-fi/Rambo movies, and acknowledging the fact that guys DO think of diet sodas as "girly". I mean, if you're going to get offended, why be offended at an ad that merely addresses reality? Why not get annoyed at men in general for avoiding things/behaviors that are seen as feminine?

And no, I'm not annoyed at men in general. I may have been more so in my youth, but I got over it. I like them just fine, and the older I get the more refreshing I find them. They seem much more straightforward than we women. You can have a conversation with them and not have it analyzed and parsed and pored over for days and weeks. I'm getting way too old for that crap anymore.

 

[Hudson_Hawk]

A man who is *that* concerned with calories isn't going to go with a 10 calorie drink. A calorie is a calorie. They'll drink diet or they wont drink soda at all.

 

[random_thought]

I'm not even a little offended. I think it's funny. Men are so against Diet soda that it has to be marketed as a super-macho-man 10 calorie drink. Obviously it was meant in jest, the guy even said "catch phrase."

Should men be offended by chocolate commercials? Most of those show a woman enjoying her sweet and never mention a man.

Freaking hilarious. I think it's funny too, and not offensive at all. A trifle pathetic maybe, but I'm not moved to boycott Dr. Pepper Co. because of it. I haven't had a Dr. Pepper in years though, so I guess it might be moot.

You know, after all those years of reading feminist works, I came to the conclusion that "masculinity" is a very fragile mental/social construct, far more fragile than trying to define what it means to be a woman. And it is almost always couched in negative terms involving women, as in the definitions always involve some strongly expressed distancing from that which is considered female or feminine. You see that very thing in the ad. I mean really, how often do you feel that your femininity is in question by those around you (or CARE) when you drink/eat/do/purchase particular things. Women most generally don't define themselves as being what males are NOT. Of course there could be some valid psychological I-gotta-differentiate-from-The-Great-Scary-Goddess-MOM reasons for some of it, but still, when you get to the other side of being annoyed by the implied disdain of ads like that, it's still kind of sad.

This is a really interested way of looking at it. I'm not really offended by it but I can certainly say I was little shocked, it might have just been hormones playing into it as well, who knows!

 

[princesss]

HAHAHAHAHAHA

Okay, I think that's kind of hilarious. "Hey ladies. Enjoying the movie? Of course not!"

 

[elrohwen]

I think it's kind of funny! And I'm not offended in any way.

So many diet drinks and products are marketed to women because, typically, women are the ones watching their calories and going for the diet products. This advertiser is just trying to make a commercial that will appeal to guys and kind of lightly mock guys who think it's "girly" to buy diet sodas.

 

[ksinger]

OK...here is a piece that I found pretty darn funny, even though the topic really isn't. It is just humorous, and no doubt was written from that perspective. The guy who wrote it clearly has a sense of humor about aspects of his situation. There is EVEN a mention of DIET COKE that ties in to this thread!!

My Brief Life as a Woman
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/06/02/my-brief-life-as-a-woman/

 

[somethingshiny]

ksinger~ That was a great article! Thanks for linking it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

I'm not offended...but then again, I'm kind of a sarcastic person and see the commericial from that perpsective.

Just checked...test cities include: Colorado Springs, Denver, Kansas City, San Antonio, Austin and Des Moines, Iowa.

 

[Skippy123]

Not Offended AT ALL!!! I get the point and find it kind of funny too! hahaha

 

[katamari]

The ad doesn't bother me, but the belief that gender is so dividing that men and women need separate soda does. Looks like Pepsico is all over this right now: skinny can.

Edited to fix link.

 

[VapidLapid]

I think it is kind of a satire on gendering products, though it doesnt do it very well. ten manly calories? and those are so very different from some ten womanly calories?

 

[sparkledust]

how can anyone be shocked by this???? Um, it's retarded! If anyone really feels like they should be offended I would think it's the guys..how totally inane!

Time to get over being offended by everything and anything...get offended by truly offensive stuff like racism etc. Not women with big boobs in bikinis and certainly not over POP commercials that exclude women

 

[kama_s]

So I live in one of the test cities for this new product- Dr. Pepper 10. Fine. Great. Until you see the commercial...do you find this sexist? I was left speechless when I saw this!!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid78974503001?bctid=795358741001

Sexist? No. Silly? Yes. Funny? Damn straight.

Ksinger: That is an awesome article! Thanks for sharing!

 

[junebug17]

I wasn't offended by it. It's so silly I can't really take it seriously! If you think about it, it's almost like they're spoofing men that worry about not being manly.

 

[AGBF]

Definitely not offended. The guy in it reminded me of President Bush, the younger. You know. Dubya.

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Definitely not offended. The guy in it reminded me of President Bush, the younger. You know. Dubya.

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Oh Deb I will miss being your "neighbor"

 

[AGBF]

Definitely not offended. The guy in it reminded me of President Bush, the younger. You know. Dubya.

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Oh Deb I will miss being your "neighbor"

Not as much as I'll miss you, davi. Honest. I'm going through a divorce in real life and every loss hurts. I hate losing a cyber pal who shared talk about the weather with me!

Can we still talk about our dogs?

Hugs,
Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

 

[davi_el_mejor]

Definitely not offended. The guy in it reminded me of President Bush, the younger. You know. Dubya.

Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Oh Deb I will miss being your "neighbor"

Not as much as I'll miss you, davi. Honest. I'm going through a divorce in real life and every loss hurts. I hate losing a cyber pal who shared talk about the weather with me!

Can we still talk about our dogs?

Hugs,
Deb


Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend

Of course I was going to ask you about Griff in my previous posts but I didn't want to threadjack... Soooo if you just happen to post some updated pictures I'm sure there would be plenty of others, myself included, going gaga for Griff

 

[galeteia]

I thought it poked fun at how silly 'manliness' bait can get. The part where he backhands a snake and it explodes, and the part where the jeep careens around and he yells: "CATCHPHRASE!" cracked me up.

 

[iheartscience]

I think it's amusing-they're mocking the ridiculous Hardees type of commercials.

 

[zoebartlett]

I'm not really offended... It's too stupid to be offensive. Really. Stupid.

That's what I thought when I first saw it too. What a dumb commercial.

ETA: I just realized how old this thread is. I was scrolling down, reading comments, and I kept thinking, hey, it's nice to see so many people who haven't been around in a while posting again. Oops.

 

[ame]

So I live in one of the test cities for this new product- Dr. Pepper 10. Fine. Great. Until you see the commercial...do you find this sexist? I was left speechless when I saw this!!

http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid78974503001?bctid=795358741001

Did not even concern me. I think it's stupid but not much offends me.

Besides that, I tried this stuff last week and it is GROSS. I cannot identify why.

 

[sparklyheart]

I've seen this commercial several times and I just think it's stupid. There was a piece on the news the other night about it.. The whole campaign is failing because women obviously aren't drinking it and men aren't either. The research studies have shown that men are too embarrassed to drink it. Hah! Imagine that!