Hasta La Creative!

Deutsch LA recently launched a new ad for Dr. Pepper, introducing “Mop Dog.”

“Mop Dog” is a Puli — a Hungarian breed that develops natural dread locks or “cords” giving it a distinct, comical appearance — who roams around in search of a home. The dog walks past an owner taking her two (more normal looking) dogs for a walk and passes two shops with mops in the window before finally being taken in by a Dr. Pepper truck driver (who Breaking Bad fans may recognize as “Krazy 8?). From there it’s straight Puli cuteness as the dog tags along. For a moment it seems the driver is going to drop the dog off at an animal shelter, but, predictably changes his mind. The spot ends with the “Always Be One of a Kind” tagline.

While the ad could hardly be accused of originality, Deutsch LA handles the canine approach as well as most with “Mop Dog.” Saccharine as it might be, it’s hard to imagine that people won’t eat this one right up (who doesn’t love Pulis?), and we wouldn’t be surprised if Dr. Pepper’s “Mop Dog” makes a reappearance.

Damn you, hot hunks of advertising! Damn you to hot, hunky hell! Your Grecian glutes mock me as I polish off another nacho platter, and your six-pack abs shame me as I knock back my six-pack of beer! Shirtless Josh Button is the latest addition to the ad-hunk trend, rising seductively from the sea in Deutsch L.A.'s new tongue-in-cheek commercial for Diet Dr Pepper. (They make diet soda now?) "Millions of guys are born good looking," Button's voiceover begins, as the number 70,611,600 flashes on screen. "But not many are really good looking." The number 64,891 appears. "Even fewer are really, really, really, really, really good looking. At least, that's what I'm told." The number 45 zips by. "I'm Josh Button, and I'm one of a kind." We then get a full-on view of his chiseled torso as the red number 1 appears, thrust like a dagger into my cholesterol-clogged heart. (Hey, I'm at least one of the 70 million fairly OK-looking dudes, right?!) "We're poking fun at ourselves and the trend of hot guys in advertising," Dr Pepper svp of marketing Jaxie Alt tells USA Today, alluding to hunk sightings in spots for brands like Kraft Zesty Italian dressing and Diet Coke. After decades of impossibly trim bikini babes making women feel insecure, I guess it's men's turn to suffer. At least one advertiser out there is providing a more realistic depiction of the male form. But when you consider the state of that beach bum's liver, and his life expectancy, it's cold comfort indeed. Credits below.

CREDITS
Client: Dr Pepper Snapple Group
Brand: Diet Dr Pepper

Agency: Deutsch, Los Angeles
Chief Creative Officer: Mark Hunter
Group Creative Director: Brett Craig
Creative Director: Xavier Teo
ACD, Art Director: Erick Mangali
ACD, Copywriter: Chris DiNinno, Lehr E. Ryan
Director of Integrated Production: Vic Palumbo
Executive Producer: Lisa K. Johnson
Director of Content Production: Victoria Guenier
Ken Rongey:  Senior Business Affairs Manager
Directors: Craig Brett/Mangali Erick
Director of Photography:  Greig Fraser
1st A.D.: Anthony Dimino

Editorial Company:
Spot Welders, Santa Monica, CA
Editor: Patrick Murphree
Executive Producer:  David Glean
Senior Producer: Carolina Wallace
Producer: J. Patrick McElroy

Post Facility – Color Only:
Company 3, Santa Monica, CA
Colorist:  Dave Hussey

Visual Effects:
Arsenal FX, Santa Monica, CA
Post Production Company: Arsenal F/X
Executive Producer: Ashley Hydrick
VFX Supervisor/Design: Lauren Mayer-Beug
Flame: Mark Leiss and Terry Silberman
Designers/Animators: Andrew Schreiber
Post Producer: Pravina Sippy
Production Coordinators:

Music/Composer:
Elias Arts, Santa Monica, CA
Creative Director-Dave Gold
Executive Producer-Ann Haugen
Composer-David Wittman
Producer-Kiki Martinez

Audio Post Company/City/State:
Play Studios, Los Angeles, CA

Mixer:John Bolen
Executive Producer: Lauren Cascio

Others:
Mnemonic and End Tag
Wood Shop, Culver City, CA
CD/Product Director: Trevor Shephard
DP: Tom Lazarevich
Live Action Producer: Christy Lindgren
Post Producer: Sabrina Elizondo
Nuke Compositors: John Weckworth, Forbes Hill, Jon Lorenz, Ned Wilson, Thomas Horne
3D Artist: Forbes Hill, Cody Smith CD

Client Credits
Director of Creative: Shaun Nichols
Brand Manager – Diet Dr Pepper: Angela Snellings
Director of Marketing: Leslie Vesper
SVP, Director of Brand Marketing and Sponsorships: Jaxie Alt
SVP, Marketing: Andrew Springate
EVP, Marketing: Jim Trebilcock
Advertising Manager: Sharon Leath

Additional Deutsch Credits:
Mike Sheldon, CEO
Account Management Credits:
David Dreyer, Group Account Director
Helen Murray, VP Account Director
Andrew DuBois, Account Supervisor
Kate DeMallie, Assistant Account Executive
Account Planners:
Jeffrey Blish, Chief Strategic Officer
Aileen Russell, Group Planning Director
Business Affairs
Abilino Guillermo: Director of Integrated Business Affairs

Dr. Pepper has kicked off a program known as Vida23, celebrating la vida23, “a flavorful, bicultural life to the 23rd power.”
A mobile dance club/studio and arcade, plus a new song written for the program, will be touring American cities.

“Just like the unique 23 flavors Dr Pepper, Vida23 is designed to give consumers more out of every day,” said Monica Morales, Dr Pepper brand manager, Hispanic market. “Hispanic young adults are living the best of both worlds – they’re bicultural and bilingual. Unlike previous generations, today’s young Latinos literally have one foot in each culture and Vida23 celebrates their way of life.”

The song, “LA LA LA Life/Vida23,” was written and performed by Cucu Diamantes and Andres Levin, founding members of the fusion band Yerba Buena. The song could be described as African-rooted Latin music + hip-hop + Soul/R&B. The song can be heard over the air, or during Dr Pepper spots.

Vida23 is meant to embody the bicultural lifestyle using Club23, Dr Pepper’s dance club on wheels where fans can play games, dance, and upload photos. Beginning in Dallas on May 15, Club23 tours the country, hitting locations such as LA, San Antonio, Phoenix, and Sacramento. Club23 dates and locations are available at www.Vida23.com.

Other promotions that will run later in the year include Tu Ride23 and Familia23. The Tu Ride23 promotion will give consumers a chance to win a car, and Familia23 awards a huge party to a family submitting a photo of themselves enjoying Dr Pepper while explaining how they live their life to the fullest.

Jeff Louis: Strategic Media Planner, Project Manager, and New Business Coordinator. His passion is writing, contributing to BMA as well as freelancing. He’d love to hear from you: linkedin.com/in/jefflouis or twitter.com/jlo0312..