The Impact of Sweets on Dr. Pepper Industry

Sweets have a huge impact on various industries, not just the dessert and culinary industry. Sugar has become a duplicitous agent in several parts of the world and is an active ingredient in anything and everything we eat. From sweet treats to savory meals, sugar is essential to make a dish rather flavorful and appealing to the sense of taste. Even in the drinks we consume, sugar has made every sip a little more interesting and even a little more addicting.

Sodas and carbonated beverages have become a staple in American culture and even in various parts of the world. Kingpins in the soda industry like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, 7Up, and Mountain Dew have been a constant in the beverage industry. Sales in the carbonated drinks industry have set up a rather competitive market for other up and comers like the millennial favorite, La Croix has made the competition even more interesting. According to a market and consumer data provider, Statista, the soft drinks industry in the US has made an estimated revenue of $707 million so far in 2019, with an expected annual growth of 4.2% in the next four years. The average per capita consumption stands at 47.4 liters so far in the first half of 2019.

The Peak of Dr. Pepper

However, a constant contender is Dr. Pepper, a rather young beverage company that has only been around for 11 years and has managed to make things a little more interesting to the average soda enthusiast. Dr. Pepper recently released a rather interesting new flavor for birthday celebrants who are tired of the average birthday cake, cue Dr. Pepper’s Icing on the Cake soda which brings cake and soda fans alike into an ecstatic burst of emotion. According to Best Products, a lifestyle and entertainment website, Dr. Pepper’s latest birthday drink is actually exclusive and will not be made available to shelves or grocery stores anytime soon. The limited-edition and exclusive drink can only be purchased by those who subscribe to the Dr. Pepper Pack which can be subscribed to online.

Keurig Dr. Pepper has pulled in quite the muscle in the carbonated soda industry with an impressive quarter performance of $2.50 billion as of March 31st, a 164% increase year over year. The annual performance boasted a whopping $8.99 billion, a 46.83% increase year over year, according to Macro Trends, an inflation-adjusted and data analytics website that illustrates a long term perspective on markets.

Dr. Pepper Pack: Exclusive Ambassador Program

The Dr. Pepper Pack, the brand’s ambassador program, grants those who signed up to the exclusive flavor a few cans of limited edition flavors for their birthdays. Along with the exclusive birthday soda is a balloon, and a special note to the celebrant from the Dr. Pepper Team saying, “To the Birthday Pepper, Since you’re a die-hard Dr. Pepper fan, your birth month is, well, kind of a big deal to us. So to celebrate, we’ve created a limited-edition Birthday Cake-flavored Dr. Pepper and some exclusive party supplies to help commemorate your existence. Don’t drink it all in one place. Or do. It is YOUR birthday after all. Happy birthday, The Dr. Pepper Team.”

The ambassador program is pretty much new to the Dr. Pepper family and has only been around since 2017. It reportedly began inviting users to join the program on the company’s official Facebook page back on April 11, 2017. Dr. Pepper also extended their social media reach via Twitter when they announced their “first-ever advocacy program” on May 2, 2017, according to the British lifestyle publication for young women, Bustle. The brand advocacy program required members to adhere to a few stipulations upon registration, requiring members to post about the brand on social media, use certain hashtags, and upload specific types of content during occasional events that demand their participation and promotion. This then merits them to free products and other incentives like discounts, coupons, and gift certificates as compensation to name a few.

The popularity of sugary drinks isn’t going downhill anytime soon, there’s a continuous trend that will keep on attracting consumers to sweet and spiked drinks like birthday cake beverages and tropical wine packets, to name a few other variations, even beyond the summer season. Having a sweet carbonated lemonade drink or punch is one thing, but a birthday cake in a can is another treat for the avid sweet tooth.

Sweetened drinks and carbonated beverages are set to make a market jump in the next few years, with more and more people leaning into the fad of sugary carbonated drinks. Dr. Pepper isn’t one to slow down the carbonated beverage trend and is definitely on the road to contributing more to the sugary drink trend that’s all the buzz in the average millennial’s world.