Dr. Pepper Ten commercials focus on masculinity trying to convince the viewer that it is masculine to drink diet soda. The traditional picture of a “real” man in the US society as a meat-eater, living in the wild, fighting dangers of life in the wild, wearing a beard (Johansson 28). This kind of man value brutality and freedom as depicted in the commercials, as the man lives alone in a forest not caring for his appearance and what others would think of him. These values fail to represent the truth about what being a man is.
As mentioned above, the commercial is based upon the modern stereotype of a “manly” male. In modern society, masculinity is associated with wearing a beard, not caring for appearances, and living in the wild. Additionally, men are supposed to be strong, independent, and free as the animals depicted in the advertisements including an eagle and a bear. However, the stereotype in the commercial is specific to the American culture, as the man has a strong southern accent. Therefore, the stereotypes and generalization made in Doctor Pepper TEN commercials are relevant for both the US and the international society in general.
The general impact of the advertisements is negative with few positive messages. The ads promote the idea that Dr. Pepper Ten is supposed for the kind of men depicted in them. The picture of masculinity supported by the commercials may make people feel insecure about their appearance or lifestyle. At the same time, it may arouse negative emotions in women leaving them excluded from the target audience. However, the possible positive consequence of the commercial is that men will consider it acceptable to care about the number of calories they intake per day.
The features of masculinity are universal for most countries; however, some Asian cultures, like Korea or India, may find it challenging to grasp the message. Therefore, the commercial can be improved by introducing women and other kinds of men, like caring fathers, business people, and athletes. These improvements will support globalization and make the ads more accepted universally.
Work Cited
Johansson, Thomas et al. Fatherhood in Transition. Palgrave Macmillan, 2017.