Review: Dr. Pepper

[Tannerman]

Of course I'm not actually going to review Dr. Pepper. C'mon, this drink rocks. It's an original that can't be matched. Both Amy and my Dad are huge fans of good ole DP. What I wanted to share was the new logo design that Dr. Pepper is now featuring, first introduced on Dr. Pepper Berries & Cream and soon to come to Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper.

New Dr. Pepper bottle design


New Dr. Pepper can design

The new logo and packaging treatment, to me at least, pay tribute to the can design I grew up with back in the 1980s. The nice oval on the can with the words "Dr. Pepper" inside. You may remember that it looked something like this...

1908s Dr. Pepper can
(Source: eBay)

The new design moves away from the old "modernist" approach with the swooshy underline treatment, forcing the name to be printed on an angle. Now once again the brandname is perpendicular with the surface that the beverage sits upon. The new oval that frames the name has a little bit of dimensionality and some curved swooshes.

Previous Dr. Pepper bottle design

Below the name is "Est. 1885", playing off Dr. Pepper's heritage, being first sold that year after being formulated by pharmacist Charles Alderton in Morrison's Old Corner Drug Store in Waco, TX. It was eventually introduced nationally at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition and remains the oldest widely sold soft drink in production today.

Previous Dr. Pepper can design

Below these elements is a big "23", which references the "authentic blend of 23 flavors." This formula, like other soft drinks, is a closely-guarded secret. As for the name itself, legend states that before moving to Texas, Morrison lived in Virginia near a Dr. Charles T. Pepper, and may have been close to Pepper's daughter at the time. (Suck up!)

2005 Top-10 Soft Drink Brands
(Source: Beverage Digest)

Overall, I'm very happy with the new packaging design. It shows that Cadbury Schweppes is breathing new life into the brand which truly is an original. (Hopefully making you forget about that little Red Fusion experiment a few years back.) Dr. Pepper remains the #7 best selling soft drink in the United States as of 2005 (same as 2004's ranking). Pretty impressive.

Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper too?

[Mommymeepa]

I Love Dr. Pepper. I always have. I don't care how the label looks I will always love it.

I don't really drink soda anymore, so when I found a Dr. Pepper shirt at Kohl's I had to have it, so that is how I get my fill of Dr. Pepper these days. I just stick to the original and diet Dr. Pepper now. I couldn't stand the new berries n cream one. YUCK, what were they thinking?

Let's all sing it together now

I'm a pepper, she's a pepper, he's a pepper, they're a pepper wouldn't you like to be a pepper to? Dr. Pepper, drink Dr. Pepper.

I think I sang that right.
Have a good day everyone,
Melissa

[henryjz]

I didn't know they did a berries and cream version... Oh what I miss out on living in Canada.

I've been a Pepper fan since my first taste in 3rd grade! Now, I have stick with Diet Dr. Pepper due to bad genetics. Yes, I know that in exchange for not developing diabetes, I am very likely going to get something else from the artificial sweetener... oh well!

When I do drink regular Dr. Pepper, though, I like it better here in Canada than in the US. They use real sugar here as opposed to high fructose corn syrup in the States.