Dr Pepper's marketing runs on three repeatable plays: Fansville, an episodic college football ad series that debuted in 2018 with agency Deutsch; flavor launches treated as events, such as the permanent Strawberries & Cream in February 2023; and fan-led trends the brand follows rather than invents, like dirty soda. Together they show how a challenger brand builds loyalty through fandom, not reach.
Edited on October 20, 2026.
What is Fansville, and why has it lasted since 2018?
Fansville is an episodic advertising campaign for Dr Pepper, set in a fictional town whose residents revolve around college football and Dr Pepper. It debuted in 2018 as a series of 30-second television spots, and Dr Pepper has renewed it for multiple seasons since.
The campaign works because it lives inside college football culture instead of interrupting it. Each installment shows citizens of Fansville facing exaggerated dilemmas in their fandom, and the series is supported by online ads, social media and radio, according to Wikipedia's account of the campaign.
| Year | Fansville milestone |
|---|
| 2018 | Campaign debuts with agency Deutsch during the college football season |
| 2019 | Season two premieres August 19, starring Brian Bosworth and Eddie George, with nine spots on ESPN, CBS and Fox and a finale during the National Championship on January 13, 2020 |
| 2021 | Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei becomes the first college athlete signed to the campaign |
| 2022 | Alabama quarterback Bryce Young stars as himself in the commercials |
Dr Pepper, which says it is the oldest major soft drink in the United States, launched in 1885. Dr Pepper brand marketing executive Derek Dabrowski said in 2019 that Fansville was created to celebrate the brand's commitment to college football and its fan community, according to Inside Radio.
How does Dr Pepper turn flavors into launch events?
Dr Pepper launches new flavors with their own campaigns, and it separates permanent additions from limited-time returns to keep both newsworthy.
| Flavor | Launch | Status | Marketing note |
|---|
| Strawberries & Cream | February 2023, nationwide | Permanent, regular and zero sugar | A new campaign followed in spring 2023, and the brand called it the only strawberry and cream dark soda on the market |
| Dirty Soda Coconut Lime creamer | March 2024, with Coffee mate | Limited edition | Lets fans make a dirty soda at home |
| Creamy Coconut | May 1 to the end of July 2024 | Limited time, returned in 2025 and again in 2026 | Keurig Dr Pepper says it was inspired by viral social media trends |
| Blackberry | 2025 | Permanent, including zero sugar | Keurig Dr Pepper cited Circana data showing blackberry soda interest growing at twice the category rate |
John Alvarado, senior vice president of Dr Pepper brand marketing, said at the 2023 launch that Strawberries & Cream joined a permanent lineup that already included Dr Pepper & Cream Soda and Dr Pepper Zero Sugar. Katie Webb, vice president of innovation at Keurig Dr Pepper, said in 2026 that fans rallying for a flavor drives the brand's decisions, and cited the company's State of Beverages 2025 report finding that 44 percent of Americans and 72 percent of Gen Z try new beverages each month.
How did dirty soda become a Dr Pepper flavor?
Dirty soda became a Dr Pepper flavor by starting as a Utah soda shop trend that Dr Pepper then turned into products. Dirty sodas combine soda with coconut syrup, cream and lime, and shops such as Swig made them popular in Utah.
Dr Pepper's Creamy Coconut nods to that trend, and the Coffee mate creamer gave fans a way to make the drink at home. The brand did not invent the trend. It identified what fans were already doing and built a product around it, which is a faster and lower-risk route than inventing a new flavor idea.
What can CPG brands learn from Dr Pepper's playbook?
Four lessons stand out from Dr Pepper's marketing, and they are EPR's reading of the campaigns.
- Own a subculture. Dr Pepper has anchored its advertising in college football for years, so its spend compounds in one place.
- Build a serialized world. Fansville has run since 2018 with recurring characters and rotating athlete ambassadors, so each season builds on the last.
- Follow fans, then commercialize. Creamy Coconut and the Coffee mate creamer came after dirty soda took off on social media.
- Use scarcity and permanence deliberately. Limited-time flavors create urgency, and permanent flavors like Strawberries & Cream and Blackberry build the core lineup.
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