Dumb Ads Predictably Hurt Dr. Pepper's Approval Ratings

Comments on Dr. Pepper’s Facebook page seemed to indicate that men and women alike were grossed out by commercials proclaiming that Dr. Pepper Ten is for dudes only. And now there are numbers to back that up.

YouGov BrandIndex recently tabulated Dr. Pepper’s “Buzz score” by asking respondents, “If you’ve heard anything about the brand in the last two weeks, through advertising, news or word of mouth, was it positive or negative?” Buzz scores are plotted on a scale of -100 to 100, with zero being equal positive and negative feedback. At the start of the “not for women” campaign, Dr. Pepper’s score among men was 21.5 — it’s now dropped to 16.4. Among women, the score has dropped even more precipitously, from 32.9 to 18.4. Shockingly, it seems that when you declare one of your products “not for women,” women like you less. And men may not appreciate the suggestion that they’re violent, childlike goons whose narrow definition of masculinity demands a “manly” diet soda.