A couple of months ago, I had a conversation with Joan Voight for an OMMA article about a PR stunt by Dr. Pepper. The article just appeared in OMMA’s March 09 issue and is well worth reading. The basics gist is that Dr. Pepper promised a free soda to everyone in the U.S. if Guns N Roses ever finished their long awaited Chinese Democracy album (see AdAge). Well to make a long story short, GNR did release the album and Dr. Pepper did give away the soda but all did not go according to plan.
Here are my rather extensive notes from my call with Joan which will make a lot more sense if you are familiar with the promotion already or read Joan’s article…
As far as I’m concerned, this is one of the best PR stunts of the decade. Most PR stunts have little connection to the brand essence and generate but one blip. This program, in contrast, has already generated 8 months worth of substantial press coverage that is consistent with the brand persona. DP at its best is a quirky individual with slightly offbeat tastes in soda and music. DP’s connection to offbeat music goes way back. DP’s connection to GNR is not forced. The brand people were true GNR fans. DP could act like a true GNR fan because they were GNR fans. The stunt reflected a true fans understanding of the bands 14-year struggle to get out a new album. The fact that the offer of free DP was not available to former GNR members, Slash and Buckethead, further demonstrated a true fans understanding and the quirky sense of humor that informed the whole effort.
The fact that their servers crashed and their toll-free number was swamped is further testament to the success of this PR grand slam. It seems that just about every media outlet covered the free DP offer back in March and then again in November when the album did come out. DP made the arrival of the long-awaited album more of an event that it might have been. DP cleverly inserted themselves into a bit of pop culture history. How amazing is that after making the announcement back in March, Axl Rose actually responded to a 2nd tier soda brand? When was the last time a pop culture icon engaged in a conversation with any brand for free? GNR had no problem with this stunt back in March. It seems clear they welcomed the support and appreciated the sense of humor behind the free soda offer. Only when DP couldn’t keep up with the demand for the free sodas did GNR express concern. GNR’s request for an apology from DP is yet another fortunate wrinkle in this stunt for DP. It simply extends the news value and gives DP another chance to engage in a public conversation with GNR. Now it is up to DP to capitalize on the situation with a tongue in cheek apology and perhaps another consumer offer that again would be carried by the media for free. I would think that another 24 hour window of free sodas should absolve them of any charges of over-promising.
From the beginning, this was a “win/win” situation for the brand. If the album didn’t launch, then DP got extraordinary press coverage that connected the brand with the plight of GNR fans all over the world. If the album did launch, then DP would have one of the most cost-effective sampling programs ever. As it turned out, DP delivered thousands and thousands of coupons at nominal cost. Ironically, the awareness and interest in the brand generated by this stunt is greater than any of DP’s recent advertising campaigns at a fraction of the cost. DP couldn’t have dreamed up a more cost effective sampling program.
This stunt is further support for the old credo the “all PR is good PR.” Ultimately people will remember that somehow DP was connected with a pop music happening. They will remember that DP is a true fan of GNR and has a quirky sense of humor. DP has tapped into something deep and would be smart to mine it for all its worth. Perhaps they can demonstrate this kind of insider music fan knowledge with another rock icon.
Sure some folks were peeved that they couldn’t get their free coupon and perhaps DP should have anticipated greater demand. DP responded by adding another 24-hour window which is probably more than most companies would have done. DP fans will not hold this against them. Non-DP fans might remain angry for awhile but that it is a small price to pay for such a salient PR bonanza.
Capturing email and addresses was another savvy move by DP. The recent Catalina Marketing study suggests that a very small percentage of users account for an inordinate share of consumption of any one brand. Having the email addresses of your heavy users is essential to efficient marketing. With all these names in a their database, DP now has the opportunity to isolate their heavy users from the riffraff who just wanted a free soda. Once they do that, they can have an on-going dialogue with their fans, pushing out content and offers that are both relevant and rewarding. DP generated this invaluable data base at a remarkably low cost thanks to all the free publicity which must be making the folks at Pepsi and Coke wishing they could “be a pepper too.”