Dr. Pepper, Baby
Newsletter #108
This Week:
Listen and Win
ICYMI: Lessons From a Sidewalk
Just for Laughs
Before We Go…
1. What 11 Seconds and Dr. Pepper Can Teach Us About Listening
It all started when TikTok creator Romeo posted a very short clip. Eleven seconds, to be exact.
“I have a theme song for Dr Pepper, and it goes like this,” Romeo says before singing:
“Dr Pepper, baaabyyyy, it’s good and nice, do do do.”
That’s it. That’s the whole thing.
The internet did what the internet does. As of this writing, the clip has racked up more than 113.7 million views and 11.1 million likes. Commenters flooded the post, tagging Dr Pepper and urging the brand to pay attention. And Dr Pepper did.
Just over a month later, a Dr Pepper commercial began airing on television featuring Romeo’s jingle, original vocals included, with on-screen credit to the creator. Here’s what we can learn from the viral moment.
2. ICYMI: What a Sidewalk Can Teach Us About Listening To Our Stakeholders
Since we’re talking about listening this week, let’s revisit this EO Report about the sidewalks at Ohio State University.
When the space was first developed, no concrete paths were laid. Instead, students were simply allowed to walk wherever they pleased. Over time, those worn paths in the grass – known as desire paths – showed exactly where people actually wanted to go. Only then did the university pave the sidewalks.
Instead of guessing, they listened. The result? A campus that reflects the true movement of its people. Here’s what we can learn as marketers from this mentality.
3. Just for Laughs
4. Before We Go…
From Newsweek: Don Lemon speaks out after arrest by Donald Trump’s DOJ
Last week, Journalist Don Lemon was arrested in connection with his reporting on protests at a Minnesota church, raising First Amendment rights concerns.
From The Mirror: What is UpScrolled? The video app soaring past TikTok amid censorship fears
Earlier this year, TikTok quietly transitioned ownership from Chinese-owned ByteDance. Since the change, users have been accusing the social platform of censoring some content, leading to a soar in downloads of UpScrolled.
From that subreddit on cats to your favorite food influencer, politics is at your front door.
From The Times: Is Josh the new Karen?
“He’s boring, he’s cruel, he’s a terrible boyfriend. Online memes have settled on a certain archetype as the world’s worst man.” Sorry to all our EO Report Joshes! We still love you.
If your favorite soda is Dr. Pepper, or you know someone named Josh, you have to forward The EO Report to a few friends. Sorry, we don’t make the rules.