My brother, Ken, came up with a great idea and pitched it in a letter to Dr Pepper. The letter got a great response from the Vice President of International Marketing of Dr Pepper. Both are hilarious.
The text is reproduced below, and scans of the actual letters are attached. (I redacted Ken's mailing address and the name of the VP at Dr Pepper. Don't want to get anybody in trouble. Click on the thumbnail images to see the letters in readable size.)
Enjoy, and happy holidays!
Ron and Liz
May 4, 1997Dear Sirs:
Recently, a friend of mine, Randy Marrinan, had an ingenious idea for a new Dr. Pepper commercial. He came up with the idea while four of us were at a fast food restaurant and he was drinking a Dr. Pepper. He came up with no specifics but I suppose it could work on radio or television.
Four guys are sitting around, playing cards or maybe just hanging out. As one guy finishes drinking his soda, he lets out a burp. He smiles in self-admiration. Two of the other guys follow suit, the burps getting progressively louder and longer and the look of the other three becoming more and more of someone impressed. Finally, the fourth guy picks up his Dr. Pepper, drinks, hesitates, and then lets out a fantastic belch, of highest quality in volume, duration, and clarity. The other three look at him in amazement with mouths agape. The fourth one smiles broadly, points to the Dr. Pepper and in a confident, proud voice says "Dr. Peppa." The other three heartily agree, admitting their defeat.
Now I realize that this sort of commercial may be offensive to some but I guarantee that to many people, especially teenagers, this commercial would be seen as incredibly funny. With this type of commercial, publicity will be easy and everyone will certainly remember the product.
I hope this idea eventually leads to something productive. Thank you for all your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Ken Gerber
May 21, 1997Dear Ken:
Thanks for your letter. I'm probably supposed to send it to the legal department so they could respond with something like, "Thank you for your idea, which we have never read." But I liked it, and I liked that you guys actually thought about making a Dr Pepper commercial. I know, without a doubt, that my son would think it was a great ad.
The funny thing is, our agency actually proposed a very similar idea for a different brand. I killed it. I'll tell you why.
Have you ever had a guy burp a major-leaguer right in your face? I was eight years old when Greg Bardnell graced me with one of his finest cucumber-based burps at point blank range. A poisonous cloud of cucumber gas enveloped me. (I still cringe when I read "burpless cucumbers".) A cucumber is actually a pretty mild thing-imagine what it could have been. But, it was ten years before I ate a cucumber again.
Now, I personally believe that about half the US population has had an experience similar to mine. (I suppose the other half was on the burp-giving end, but I'm straying.) So I picture running that ad. Upon the first viewing, half the audience vows to give Dr Pepper a ten-year rest. Worse though: another group likes the ad and by the next day is mimicking the ad so that, around the nation, millions of kids are attacking millions of innocents with Dr Pepper burps at point blank range. Ex-Dr Pepper consumers are being created by the thousands. And, victim self-help groups spontaneously form, in which these people describe how horrible it is to be enveloped in the poisonous Dr Pepper cloud.
Or, maybe it won't be that bad. Maybe they won't form self-help groups. But, I'm pretty sure I'm right about the rest of it.
Seriously, I enjoyed receiving your idea. It does have what the agency guys call "Breakthrough." Thanks for taking the time. I've included some coupons just to say thanks for giving me some fun in my day. And, also included is a Dr Pepper patch for you and Randy, because I know you can't be happy without them.
All the best,
(Vice President - Marketing International of Dr Pepper)
