Meet the New TEN Line-up

The greatest performers and athletes will tell you that talent is what gets you noticed, but skill is what keeps the crowd’s attention. When DPS launched Dr Pepper TEN with the bold “It’s Not for Women” ad campaign – which challenged the status quo and consumers’ expectations of a low-calorie soda – the public took notice. Now we’re taking our skills in flavor science and innovation to expand TEN technology across our carbonated soft drink (CSD) portfolio to evolve the category and keep the crowd’s attention. 

“As consumer trends shift toward flavors and healthier options, DPS saw an opportunity to use TEN technology as a reason to bring users back to the CSD category,” said Dave Falk, 7UP brand director – marketing. “By giving consumers a full-flavored, regular-tasting option with fewer calories, we’re able to keep the category relevant and increase consumption of CSDs.”

In January, DPS began testing Core 4 TEN (7UP TEN, Canada Dry TEN, A&W TEN, Sunkist TEN) and RC TEN in parts of Iowa, Ohio and Pennsylvania. RC TEN is also being tested in Evansville, Ind., and Chicago.

“RC is a leading brand for many of our independent bottlers, and the TEN platform was the perfect opportunity to highlight the brand and provide dedicated cola consumers with a healthier, great-tasting option,” said Meena Sen, director – brand marketing for rediscover brands.

Compared to Dr Pepper TEN’s more masculine focus, DPS is leveraging the flavor diversity and brand personalities of the Core 4 to target men and women, ages 25-49. Leading with 7UP, the marketing strategy is based on consumers getting the best of both worlds. A new commercial, featuring a pink monster truck and a few other surprises, takes the idea to comical extremes.  

As DPS continues to leverage this game-changing innovation, could it potentially replace diets? Not likely. A large segment of diet fans still enjoy drinking soft drinks without any of the guilt and prefer the lighter mouth feel of a diet drink.

Instead of cannibalizing the other brands, TEN technology is expected to give DPS a competitive edge in retail and increase trial and repeat rates in the CSD category. The TEN platform also represents another step toward achieving our goal that by 2015, 50 percent of the projects in our innovation pipeline are dedicated to reducing calories, offering smaller portion sizes and improving nutrition.