Dr Pepper Marketing: College Football, Fansville, Flavor Launches and What a Smaller Brand Can Borrow

Dr Pepper's marketing rests on four moves: a long running college football campaign called Fansville, sustained investment after the 2018 merger that created Keurig Dr Pepper, a steady stream of flavor launches, and fast, small scale social content. Trade press reported in June 2024 that these helped Dr Pepper pass Pepsi to become the number two carbonated soft drink in the United States, behind Coca-Cola. This page sets out each move with the source it comes from, then shows which parts a smaller brand can borrow.

The result the marketing is credited with

A June 2024 Food Dive report, reprinted from Marketing Dive, said Beverage Digest data placed Dr Pepper second in US carbonated soft drinks, ahead of Pepsi. It added that in FutureBrand's Consumer Index, Dr Pepper ranked 41st, two places ahead of Pepsi, and quoted FutureBrand's Lynne Field saying consumers see Dr Pepper as more distinctive and different than Pepsi.

Distinctiveness is the thread through everything below. A brand that is clearly different from the biggest names gives people a reason to choose it.

Move 1: Own a sports calendar

The same report says Dr Pepper became the first official sponsor of the College Football Playoff in 2014, and that its "Fansville" campaign launched in 2018. Fansville is a series of 30 second commercials about a fictional town that revolves around college football and Dr Pepper.

A Marketing Dive report of 27 August 2026 describes the ninth season. Facts from that report:

• The campaign runs in 50 markets at launch, with over 200 pieces of content that can be localized.
• Deutsch created the season, as it did for earlier ones, and Publicis handles media planning and execution.
• Ads air during the season on ESPN, CBS and Fox, plus digital, radio, out-of-home and owned social.
• Other elements include branded merchandise, a kickoff moment in Bloomington, Indiana, an activation in Norman, Oklahoma tied to the Red River Rivalry, and a tuition support contest.
• Last year's version included over 2,500 marketing permutations. The parent company's chief executive, Tim Cofer, said at a June investor conference that it drove more than double the sales lift and roughly 30 percent higher incremental return on ad spend, compared with the national campaign average.

Those results are as reported by the company. The pattern is what matters: one idea, repeated for years, in the season when the audience is paying attention.

Move 2: Keep funding the brand

Food Dive reported that since the 2018 combination of Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, the parent has kept funding the brand and that overall marketing spend rose by double digits. A Keurig Dr Pepper executive, Brad Rakes, credited that commitment. Long campaigns need budget that does not vanish each quarter.

Move 3: Flavor launches as marketing

The 2024 report cites two examples. Strawberries & Cream generated over 300 million USD in sales in the prior year. A limited-time flavor, Creamy Coconut, grew volume more than 50 percent in its first five weeks compared with the 2022 Dark Berry limited-time flavor, according to Circana data shared by the brand. Each launch gives the brand a reason to talk, a reason for shoppers to look again, and fresh product for retailers to feature.

Move 4: Move fast on social

When a pickle and Dr Pepper combination went viral, the brand answered with a TikTok video that drew more than 2.6 million views, and the report credited empowered teams and streamlined decision making. Fast response only works if someone can approve it the same day.

What a smaller brand can borrow

Dr Pepper move	Smaller version
Sponsor a sport on a national stage	Sponsor a local team, league or club in your region, and be present at every home event
A running campaign with recurring characters	One recurring character or format in your content that returns every season
Thousands of ad permutations	Three versions of your best ad for three audiences, tested against each other
Flavor launches	A limited run product every quarter with its own page and its own announcement
Fast social response	One person with authority to post within hours of a trend that fits

If you sell a food or drink product, the order in which you build matters. Our page on food and beverage marketing sets out trial, availability and repeat as the sequence, and Dr Pepper's flavor launches follow it.

A measurement habit worth copying

The company talks about sales lift and incremental return on ad spend, not impressions. If you run a campaign, compare areas with the campaign against similar areas without it, and judge on sales. Our guide to marketing attribution covers the basics of this kind of test.

How to read a brand case study

Case studies built from trade press show what a company chose to share. Before copying a tactic, ask three things. Which numbers come from the company and which from an outside measurer such as Beverage Digest or Circana? How long did the effort run before the result showed? And what did the brand already have, such as distribution in thousands of stores, that your business may not? Copy the principle, then test it at your own size and measure it yourself.

Questions about Dr Pepper marketing

What is the Dr Pepper Fansville campaign?

A series of commercials about a fictional college football town, launched in 2018, created with the agency Deutsch, and in its ninth season in 2026 according to Marketing Dive.

Did Dr Pepper really pass Pepsi?

Food Dive reported in June 2024 that Beverage Digest data placed Dr Pepper second in US carbonated soft drink sales, ahead of Pepsi.

Who owns Dr Pepper?

Keurig Dr Pepper, formed in 2018 from the combination of Keurig Green Mountain and Dr Pepper Snapple Group, as the Food Dive report describes.

What does Dr Pepper spend on advertising?

The reports cited here describe marketing spend rising by double digits but do not give a total, so this page does not state one.

Can a small drinks brand copy this?

Yes, in miniature: one sport or community, one running idea, regular product news and quick social response.

What an assistant says when someone asks about a soft drink brand

A shopper deciding between brands may ask an assistant "what makes this soda different" and receive a few sentences built from reviews, news and retailer pages. Years of consistent campaigns show up in those sentences as the brand's description: the sport it owns, the flavors it is known for. AI Knows Us asks that question about your own food or drink brand across the major assistants and shows the pages behind each answer, so you can check whether your campaign has become the description assistants repeat.