Since dudes apparently scoff at diet drinks, the folks behind the new Dr. Pepper Ten soda decided they needed to really butch up their advertising in order to reach the core soda-drinking demographic, which just happens to be teenage boys. The result? An over-the-top, ironically hypermasculine ad campaign touting the new drink as “NOT FOR WOMEN.”
Here’s one of the ads:
Oh, and they’ve also got a Facebook app that’s — get this! — only available to men! I’m not sure the women of the world are going to suffer much from being banned from playing a rudimentary flash game that involves shooting “girly things.”
I know they’re hoping to generate controversy here, but really? This is just too dumb to even get annoyed about, much less angry. It’s not misogynistic; it’s more a parody of misogyny. Is it such a parody – stereotyping guys as macho buffoons — that it’s actually more misandrist than misogynist? You could make an argument for that, but again the ad is so over the top ridiculous, so soaked in irony, it seems silly to get indignant about this either.
So what’s going to happen when the MRAs of the world hear about this ad? Will they, missing the irony, embrace its Diet Soda Going Its Own Way (DSGIOW) mentality? Or will they denounce it as an example of ad world misandry and pretend to be deeply offended?
I’m betting on the latter. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
Wait, what? All I can think of to say is:
“I, for one, welcome our robot snake overlords.”
I rather like Dr Pepper, as sodas go. My theory is that if I drink one of these in the presence of an MRA he’ll write a blog post whining about how the wimminz are taking his money, his precious bodily fluids, and now his soda. Is nothing sacred?
I love how it’s all like “Enjoying the movie? Of course you’re not.” Except. I would be, because i love dumb action movies.
Guh, this is just too stupid for words
I’m… not sure the ad is actually unproblematic, given how it’s heavily steeped in unhealthy constructions of masculinity and femininity that are highly damaging, even if it is being absurd about them.
Also, I totally want a robot snake like that one in the ad.
I was wondering if you were going to write about this! I, for one, just don’t understand why you would outright tell half your customer base not to buy your product.
This is exactly what I was just telling my co-workers when we were talking about it yesterday.
1) Who do they think generally does the most grocery shopping?
2) How does adding 10 calories to something make it “macho?”
It seems a lot less “not for women” than plenty of advertizing, frankly. At least there wasn’t some half-naked lady orgasmically consuming/using the product for the titillation of male viewers in this one; I watched it on mute and it looked downright goofily-appealing to any young person. :p
It would have been super easy to just put sound over the ad to the effect of “boy I have an eventful goddamn life, yay! Gimme some fucking Dr. Pepper while I blow shit up like a boss. SNAKE. *punch* Amurikan way!” And that would probably mostly target young guys anyways, without the (painfully inept?) attempt at being un-PC or such.
The ad is insulting to men. And to women. And to human beings in general. But then I think that 99.99% of all advertising is insulting to people in general, so I’m probably biased.
I still am hilariously amused at the idea of marketing diet anything to men primarily.
Well, the advertising worked very well. I don’t pay attention to diet soda because I don’t drink it, and I don’t even watch TV.
Now I know a lot about Dr. Pepper 10. And I want a robotic jungle snake. And some full-calorie Dr. Pepper.
“2) How does adding 10 calories to something make it “macho?””
If we’re going to go with the idea that high calorie = macho, I am now officially declaring as a representative of the feminazi overlords that the most macho drink in the world is super sweet bubble tea with extra tapioca. Go forth, men of the world, and make Quickly richer than McDonalds.
Also, I tested the Facebook thing, and it’s true: if you identify as female on your Facebook account, you are blocked from their super-sweet app which includes such games as the “Manly Shooting Gallery” where you are allowed to choose grenades, a flamethrower, or a laser to “take out the girly stuff” (lipstick, shoes). Honestly, that’s the grossest thing to me — shooting or blowing up “femininity” seems bizarrely violent.
Well, I was enjoying the commercial, up to the point he tried to completely erased the existence of women who like over-the-top action-packed stuff.
Believe it or not, the action is not the problem here.
How can we forget:
cynickal:
Ha, great vid!
I fucking love extreme advertising!
The MENERGY pun alone is ten times more awesome than the Dr. Pepper ad, though I gotta admit those snakes were pretty cool.
I think the jabs at women and “girly things” in it really ruined what could have been a hilarious ad. This way it just makes me think of it as some sort of drinkable Axe.
I wonder if the intended inflection isn’t “it’s not for women” but “it’s not for women,” indicating girly-men and girly-girls alike. It’s for you if you’re “GRRR FIX CAR” and it’s not for you if you’re “la la la pretty bunnies.”
Because, you see, a feminine person clearly could not handle the sheer, um, diet-soda-ness of this drink. They are far too weak.
Okay, checking if this works…
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUjh4DE8FZA&w=560&h=315%5D
Nope. Oh, well. The video is ‘Shower Products For Men’, which is absolutely hilarious.
“Honestly, that’s the grossest thing to me — shooting or blowing up “femininity” seems bizarrely violent.”
Agreed. Indeed, western men are so starved of any femininity in this day and age, as femininity has largely been obliterated by radical feminists, it would make more sense to preserve these relics of the bygone age of real womanhood.
Aye this is a pretty dumb ad. It’s not as bad as those awful “Man up” commercials from that one shit-beer company though. I took it almost as a shocker commercial.
When I first it said “Not for Women” I had to look away from my computer and saying “did they really just say that”?
If enough people made a point to boycott these products, maybe the corporations will finally figure out that these kind of sexist ads are going too far. Affecting their profits is the only way we can ever reach them.
It’s a start…
Of course, removing female domination from the consumer economy will involve far more than just diet soda advertising (which, given the nature of most artificial sweeteners, is probably almost as poisonous to consumers as are the processed sugar or high-fructose corn syrup (can anybody spell “aspertame?”) being substituted anyhow!
How about marketing more TV programs, books and magazines, automobiles, popular music, motorboats, firearms, healthcare items and services, and college and vocational education, and other IMPORTANT items for men only? Advertising for women should be, ideally, for goods and services that involve use in and around the home. Advertising for men, everything else. The only things that I can think of that is still marketed to men, as men, are sports and sports items, and none of us with an IQ above our shoe size are interested in such fare anyhow, especially since the 1970’s or so, even many sports have become thoroughly feminized, e.g. golf, tennis, and swimming, to name three.
I,agree with some of the critics here! Marketing sodapop for men only is an insult, given the overarching dominance females have on the consumer economy generally! Advertising like this IS merely a parody of a serious shortcoming of American, and indeed human society and economy today!
PEACE AND FREEDOM!!
David K.Meller
DKM, you need to make me a fucking sandwich right now.
(P.S. Even the most sweetly housewifely women still occasionally do things other than cook, clean, and sleep. The way you talk would seriously piss off the most submissive fundamentalist bride. Even they’ve still got, like, hobbies.)
(P.P.S. I can spell “aspartame.”)
Stiletto heels and lipstick — relics of a bygone age. You’re too stupid to be real.