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Sunday, September 16, 2012

The Heresy of Dr. Pepper

I love online debates, especially if it's about something I care about. I'm not an active participant myself, but every now and then I think a good topic deserves its own blog post (see: KONY 2012 and 20 Reasons Why...).

Last Thursday, Dr. Pepper posted this image on their Facebook page:

Evolution of Flavor (Image credit: Dr. Pepper Facebook page)

Unsurprisingly, the ad ignited the age-old argument: evolution versus creation. Many have threatened to boycott Dr. Pepper for "perpetuating a false theory" because obviously, ads are only allowed to show fact (not that evolution can't be a fact). For example, when I drink Red Bull, I grow wings; all Coca-Cola vending machines have little Happiness Factories inside them; and Skittles really do spring from rainbows.

Now I understand the concern of religious groups over serious matters such as pro-life versus pro-choice, but there really is no need to go apeshit over a Dr. Pepper ad (pun intended).

I'm still trying to decide what's more ridiculous: this or the Archie Comics gay-marriage thing from earlier this year. The only thing that came out of that ordeal was the discovery that One Million Moms, the organization actively protesting against it, only has about 40,000 members -- and I'm pretty sure Dr. Pepper will come out just as unscathed.

What do you guys think? Is Dr. Pepper a heretic? Should they remove the ad?

xoxo,
Mae

Related links:
Dr Pepper Facebook Ad Ignites Evolution Debate
Dr. Pepper 'Evolution Of Flavor' Ad Sparks Backlash From Christians On Facebook (PHOTOS) 

2 comments:

  1. As a person with a deep-founded Christian faith, it amazes me what gets people uptight. I find the ad humorous and would never let the "link to evolution" upset me in the least. I don't see the ad as promoting belief in evolution; it's simply a play on a modern colloquialism. Whether we believe in evolution or not, we all understand the reference and should see the humor behind it.

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    1. Exactly! Advertising is all about using metaphors, references and symbols to express a message in a smart and creative way. The debate should not be about evolution versus creation, but about how successfully Dr. Pepper was able to get their message/core creative idea across. It's no different than "Red Bull gives you wings", but I haven't heard any physicists complain about that! :)

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