Dr Pepper Snapple Group PR Plan

Situation analysis •  The beverage industry has seen moderate growth

over the last decade

•  The fastest growing sectors are energy drinks and bottled water

•  Industry is dealing with stricter school guidelines regarding vending machine products, an obesity epidemic and an emerging diabetes epidemic

Solutions •  Increase sales of non-carbonated beverages

•  Increase the nutritional value of products

•  Increase playtime across the country

•  Launch a new energy drink, VENOMX Energy

VENOMX Energy •  A piercing new energy drink that strikes

back at sleep. •  A new blend of caffeine, taurine, and

other hard core ingredients designed to give maximum energy.

•  Launch VENOMX Energy with a press release/media blitz and guerrilla marketing.

“A huge part of energy drink popularity is in the sponsorship efforts, with top brands spending large sums of money to achieve brand placement.” - “Top 15 Energy Drinks” CaffeineInformer.com

•  High profile sporting events such as the Super Bowl and the World Series

•  Pop Culture events such as the iHeartRadio Music Festival, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve, Lollapalooza and South by Southwest

VENOMX Energy sponsorships

VENOMX Energy sponsorships

•  Place free portable charging stations throughout urban cores and highly populated areas i.e. sports venues

•  Brand ambassadors can hand out free VENOMX Energy drinks and merchandise to create brand awareness

VENOMX Energy guerrilla marketing

Sample portable charging station

DPS and funding academic research •  A very recent NYT article suggests that DPS

funded scientists to shift the blame of obesity from a poor diet involving a lot of soda to poor exercise habits

DPS and funding academic research •  To minimize damage, DPS will follow the 3 O’s of

crisis management –  OWN up to the issue

–  Put the CEO OUT front

–  Make an OVERSIZED response

OWN up to the issue •  The NYT article and a subsequent article by the

Associated Press detailed indisputable evidence of DPS’s involvement with the scientists

•  Owning up to at least some part of the incident usually helps a company’s reputation in the long run.

Put the CEO OUT front •  The best course of action is to have

the CEO write an op-ed for the New York Times owning up to the incident as well as doing morning show rounds promising changes and more transparency

DPS CEO Larry Young

Make an OVERSIZED response •  DPS will need to be transparent about the

company’s policies and any changes when it comes to funding academic research

•  DPS will also need to double down on its commitment to encouraging good physical fitness habits among children and adolescents

Make an OVERSIZED response Previously: New initiatives:

Whitepaper •  Will focus on:

–  DPS’s previous efforts to increase playtime across the country

–  DPS’s expanded efforts to increase playtime and create nutrition awareness

–  DPS’s efforts to increase the nutritional value of their products

–  Call on all other beverage makers to join with DPS’s and these new initiatives

A new Code of Ethics •  DPS will need to amend it’s Code of Ethics

•  More than just rules for employees to follow

•  Will guide the company and its new initiatives

•  Needs to address: –  Transparency with funding academic research

–  The company’s new focus on a healthy life

Altogether, these efforts will lead to both:

- a stronger and healthier company

- a stronger and healthier consumer