For those of you who might have missed it, on November 23^rd, Dr. Pepper sought to fulfill their promise to America. In our opinion, they did not do a very good job. Errors like this dont have to happen but if they do, they have to be corrected or they will hang around the brand forever.

Disappoint your customers and you will pay a price

DP made a promise to give everyone a free DP. Then they created a very technical, three step process which consumers had one day to sign up on a web site to eventually get a coupon in which they could have as few as 60 days to redeem before it was invalid. This created grumpy consumers. DP then failed to even deliver on this by not having enough server space to handle the incoming volume. 

Behold the power of word of mouth

Ideas that are interesting, relevant and authentic get shared. DP supporting Axl met all three of these criteria for fans of both DP and GNR.   An Influencer’s story gets shared approx 40,000 times in the course of a year.  Fizz was tracking over 6,000 Influencers across the US who had picked up this story and were passionately sharing it with all of their friends. At one point on the fulfillment day, Google Trends showed that 7 of the top 10 searches WORLDWIDE on Google had some combination of “Dr. Pepper”, “Chinese Democracy” and “Guns ‘N Roses”.     

Use the right people for the right marketing channel

Word of mouth marketing is not easy. It takes the right idea combined with the right execution. Lots of firms say they can do WOMM but few really pull it off time and again. Ask for case studies and make the agency demonstrate that their client’s noted a rise in sales due to the WOMM program. Impressions don’t count and neither do samples passed out. To paraphrase Zyman, “Sell more stuff, more often for more money or go home”.  

Here are the details folks – straight from the DP press release.

HOW TO GET YOUR FREE DR PEPPER 

1.    On the Nov. 23, 2008 release date, go to www.drpepper.com2.    Register your information to receive a coupon for one free 20-oz. Dr Pepper.3.    When your coupon arrives, redeem it wherever Dr Pepper is sold.  4.    Drink your Dr Pepper slowly to experience all 23 flavors.  Dr’s orders. 

Coupons will be available for 24 hours, starting at 12:01 a.m. Eastern Time on Nov. 23, 2008.  Allow 4-6 weeks for coupon to arrive.  Coupons will expire on Feb. 28, 2009.  Limit one coupon per person.  Full terms and conditions available at www.drpepper.com.

What could be better than a GNR album that took Axl 13 years to create? Why washing all that down with an ice cold Dr. Pepper, of course. Check back later today for details straight from DPSU. 

Is outside the box thinking going to pay off for Dr. Pepper? This just in from the Guns N Roses web site -

We’re in negotiations for the release of “Chinese Democracy” and things are going well.

When we begin to put tour plans together, we’ll see where things are. Until then, Robin’s touring with NIN and we’re working with management on our game plans.

Our thanks to those who continue to show their support.

Guns N’ Roses

Way to go DP!

(for more on why Fizz likes DP’s idea so much please see http://fizzcorp.com/blog/?p=23)

Dr. Pepper announced today that it is going to give everyone in America a can (that’s 300,000,000 sodas) of it’s eponymous soda if Axl Rose/Guns N’ Roses finishes their long awaited album Chinese Democracy in 2008. 

We love this idea.

Fizz is about Word of Mouth Marketing and tapping into the passion of brand Influencers. Great WOMM programs that build brand volume must effectively address the three questions listed below. This latest tactic from Dr.Pepper does so we think the idea is a winner.

Is your story interesting enough for Influencers to want to learn more?  Axl locked in his studio for years like some kind of rock & roll Ted Kaczynski. A possible new GNR album in 2008. Evoking the memory of our first GNR experience. What’s not interesting in this story?

Is your story relevant to an Influencer’s audience? Who of us doesn’t secretly hope that Chinese Democracy is full of kick ass rock & roll moments equal to the first 10 bars of Welcome to the Jungle? Don’t we all need a moment in our lives when we are transported back to 1987 and are rocking out to some great GNR tunes? Wouldn’t it be fun to have one of those brief hiatus from our everyday demands?

Is your story authentic to the Dr. Pepper brand essence? Dr. Pepper’s promotion expresses the excitement that has always been at the core of the DP experience by coming at it from the prospective of a “fan” and not a company. The voice of this idea is individualistic and joyful, hitting just the right note to resonate with Dr. Pepper fans.  

Bravo Dr. Pepper brand team! Here’s a wish for Axl’s success and a nice frosty DP just as soon as possible.