The subhead in an article on AdAge.com asks whether Dr Pepper's promise to provide every American with a free Dr Pepper upon the release of Guns N' Roses' new album, Chinese Democracy, is "a publicity coup or massively expensive PR stunt?"
The album, for those who do not follow the drama around Axl Rose and the various members of the G N' R gang, has been in the making for 17 years with very many of those years having come with a promise of the disc's impending release. Over time, however, the record and the band (primarily Mr. Rose) became something of a joke. It certainly seemed in the spirit of a joke when Dr Pepper made its pledge of a can of soda for every American. After all, who would have really believed that the album would ever be finished and released?
Now with Chinese Democracy slated to ship in November, it appears as though the joke may be over (we'll need to listen to the CD first and of course keep a close eye on Mr. Rose to be sure of that), but that still leaves Dr Pepper with having to make good on its promise.
"We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, vice president of marketing at Dr Pepper, said in a press statement. "But now that it's here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."
The brand plans to give out the free sodas through an online couponing program. Consumers will need to register at the brand's website for a coupon. The coupons, one per person, will only be available for 24 hours beginning on Nov. 23.
Patrick West, vice president of experiential marketing at Zoom Media & Marketing, told Ad Age, "I expect they will get a healthy return, in terms of total numbers redeemed. This stunt has a lot of legs behind it. But it's really risky, if only because of the cost of your goods. Obviously that's a bet Dr Pepper is willing to make."
Wes Brown, a partner at Iceology, said, "Dr Pepper could ultimately build some loyalty and some brand consideration out of this. Because consumers will look at this as a brand that went out on a ledge and is sticking to their guns no matter what it ends up costing them [dollar wise]."
Discussion Question: What do you think of Dr Pepper's free soda pledge connected to the release of Guns N' Roses' long-awaiting Chinese Democracy album?