AdPulp spotlighted the Dr Pepper $1,000,000 Tuition Giveaway, and the ad blog remarked, “‘Dr Pepper is changing lives’ is not the kind of promotional come-on we’re used to hearing from a large packaged goods brand.” Um, it’s actually an extraordinarily common phrase uttered by nearly every large packaged goods brand, although usually to target minorities. From Coke to Pepsi, Mickey D’s to Burger King, Verizon to AT&T, State Farm to Allstate, GM to Ford, Procter & Gamble to Johnson & Johnson and more, doling out scholarship loot is a seemingly annual affair for multicultural marketers. Guess skyrocketing student debt means White kids are looking for financial assistance too. Plus, it all makes for a natural tie-in to Dr Pepper’s sponsorship of collegiate football. Ironically, AdPulp featured four videos of female tuition recipients. The irony comes when considering the recent launch of Dr Pepper Ten, hyped with a tagline that reads, “It’s Not For Women.”
