DPS Brands Offer Consumers More Than Great Taste

People and brands are the heart of DPS’s business, and we continually pursue programs that not only drive profitable volume but also make a difference in the lives of our consumers and communities. Our brands are about more than just great taste, healthy choices and variety; they’re part of people’s lives.

No program illustrates this idea more clearly than     Dr Pepper’s ongoing relationship with college  football. The Dr Pepper Million Dollar Tuition Giveaway has changed the lives of college students around the country, giving away $2.5 million dollars in tuition to consumers who submitted videos to tell their stories.

In 2011, Las Vegas teenager Ivon Padilla-Rodriguez won $100,000 in tuition at the SEC championship game at the Georgia Dome on Saturday, Dec. 3. While her story is just one of many, her journey from homeless to a law degree and hopefully, she says, the Supreme Court began with Dr Pepper.

This spirit of community is an important part of many of our other brands, as well. Snapple, for example, partnered with pop rock stars Maroon 5 in mid-2011 to create a new Snapple flavor, “Tea Will Be Loved,” based on the group’s hit song. The brand and the band took the partnership a step further, donating $250,000 to Feeding America, providing 1.75 million meals to those in need.

7UP got in on the action with the help of Donald Trump and “The Celebrity Apprentice” in early 2011. Contestants Marlee Matlin and John Rich competed in the show’s finale to design the packaging graphics for 7UP Retro, made with real sugar. The brand didn’t stop there, however, pledging to donate $50,000 to the finalists’ charities, the Starkey Hearing Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, respectively. The program was a follow up to the successfully 2010 tie-in with “The Celebrity Apprentice” in which Brett Michaels and Holly Robinson Peete created their own Snapple flavors, with $250,000 going to American Diabetes Association and the HollyRod Foundation.

These programs are just a taste of our commitment to providing the best to our consumers. For more information on how our company and our brands are making a difference, read our 2011 Sustainability Update.