Monthly Archives: June 2024

Dr. Pepper vs. Pepsi

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I recently came across some business news that surprised me. Dr. Pepper has surpassed Pepsi as the #2 soda brand in the country. While both brands own 8.3% of the soda market, Dr. Pepper obviously won the coin flip and has claimed Pepsi’s silver medal. Coca-Cola is comfortably #1 with 19.2% of the soda market.

From a personal standpoint, this news is bittersweet to me. Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda but Pepsi holds sentimental value. Growing up, we were a Pepsi family. Although my parents only let my siblings and me drink soda on a special occasion basis, it was usually with a Pepsi when those times presented themselves. I also fondly remember my grandpa stocking his fridge with Pepsi from his restaurant when my family visited.

Dr. Pepper is my favorite soda but I also have an emotional to Pepsi.

Because of this emotional connection, I have rooted for the brand over the years, even if I would choose a Dr. Pepper if given the choice. In fact, I have always approved of Pepsi’s marketing strategy. In my mind, Pepsi rightfully selected a modern, pop culture-based strategy to counter Coke’s nostalgic approach. Think “Pilk” and A-list celebrities vs. polar bears and “classic” messaging.

My daughter drinks “Pilk,” a combination of Pepsi and milk that the soda giant embraced as a way to be relevant and in-touch with the country.

But perhaps Pepsi has never fully evolved from the 1980s Cola Wars to equip itself to compete against other formidable competitors. The story of Dr. Pepper’s ascension from a small regional Southern product to a national powerhouse brand is pretty impressive. How did the company do it? Well, as a marketer, you know what my first reason would be. Strategic marketing decisions, such as partnerships with college football/ESPN and its wildly successful “Fansville” advertising campaign, endeared the brand to a sports-obsessed country. However, I think there is something else prominently at play that can explain the soda shift. Dr. Pepper simply offers a product that is distinctly different from cola. In a society that values variety and has embraced “dirty soda” drinks, DP is uniquely positioned at this point in our country’s history to replace Pepsi as #2.

It’s not like Pepsi isn’t trying when it comes to its marketing. Campaigns to partner with other brands like the Pepsi x Peeps contest are creative but they don’t necessarily directly respond to the threat that Dr. Pepper poses.

The question now is this: Will Sprite (8.1%) leapfrog Pepsi as well? I think the answer is no—at least not in the next year. With Pepsi’s recent demotion to #3, I think it will serve as a wake up call to shift the focus back to its flagship brand and perhaps be more aggressive in its marketing to directly compete against Dr. Pepper.

What soda are you going to put in your shopping cart this summer? If you choose either Pepsi or Dr. Pepper, because of razor-thin margins, chances are that you’re helping decide who seizes the #2 spot in the soda market. Don’t Blink.

King Thursday Rundown

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Awww…it is wedding season. I want to start this Thursday Rundown by wishing the best to all engaged couples who will be tying the knot very soon. I also want to congratulate all married couples who will be celebrating anniversaries over the next few months. Alright, let’s get going with tonight’s five topics…

First Ice Cream Truck Purchase – There is nothing quite like that first ice cream truck purchase of the summer. For my children, it happened this past Friday at Browns Park in the Spokane Valley. We had a dinner picnic with my sister and her children when at one point that familiar music reached our ears. Of course, Sloan and Beau pleaded for the chance to pick something out and I relented (at least this once 😂). Beau got a Spider-man treat and Sloan got a bomb pop. The most ironic part? The kids enjoyed their first ice cream truck treat on the same date this year (May 31) as they did last year.

I captured this moment from last Friday when Sloan, Beau, and their cousin, Johnny, picked out their first ice cream truck treat of the summer.

King Richard – Sidney and I recently watched “King Richard” on Netflix. Want to know what stood out to me? Throughout the film I totally forgot that Will Smith, one of the best actors on the planet, was playing Richard Williams. He played the role so well that his reputation and celebrity never made me think “Okay, how is Will Smith going to approach this next scene?” Besides Smith’s performance, the movie was solid and I really enjoyed watching the different coaches and how they put up with Richard’s demands/ego.

Will Smith delivers an outstanding performance in “King Richard.”

Amputee Soccer – I was today years old when I learned about amputee soccer. What an inspiration! Athletes who are missing a leg play with forearm crutches but without their prosthesis. It takes guts to play a sport but the courage needed to play with a significant disability is a whole different level. I was introduced to the sport of amputee soccer when this ABC report came on at the gym.

I loved learning about these talented athletes.

Pickleball Oasis – I took Sloan and Beau to Riverfront Park on Saturday. While walking to the Ice Age Playground, we decided to investigate all the commotion that was coming from under the pavilion. Lo and behold, we strolled into this beautiful pickleball scene. As part of the 50th anniversary of Spokane Expo ’74, a pickleball tournament was held to promote and celebrate the wildly popular sport. I enjoyed watching some of the play while the kids participated in the pickleball activities offered by the vendors who were set up on the pavilion floor away from the action.

I took this photo of Picklefest ’24 underneath the pavilion at Spokane’s Riverfront Park. What a cool event!

Summer Essentials – With summer practically here, I had to take a photo of Beau next to the below Safeway display. It just nails it when it comes to the bulk essentials needed for these summer months. I probably averaged 10 Otter Pops per summer day as a kid and now, rightfully so, my children pay me back by leaving their sticky Otter Pop wrappers all around the house. You need crisp, cold water during these sweltering summer months—at least two bottles for every beer. And finally, I am convinced the classic licorice tub is bottomless. I eat piece after piece but I don’t think I have ever seen one of the containers completely empty.

Otter Pops, water, and Red Vines….who is ready for summer?!

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A hot weekend is on tap here in Spokane and we have a lot on our agenda! Thanks for taking the time to read this blog and I will catch up with you in a few days. Don’t Blink.

Delivering Phone Books

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Last week, I was reading a book to Sloan and Beau called Strong Man. It was a children’s biography on Charles Atlas, a bodybuilder and fitness guru who was a national celebrity during the first half of the 20th century.

Sloan holding the book “Strong Man” by Meghan McCarthy.

At one point in the story, it addressed how Atlas got his start as a strongman in the Coney Island sideshow. During his routine, he would tear phone books in half. When I read that part, Sloan stopped me with a confused look on her face and asked a question.

You can see the reference (bottom left) to phone books that made Sloan ask “the” question.

“What’s a phone book, daddy?”

Although a bit mortified at how old her question made me feel, I couldn’t hide my laughter. I explained to her what a phone book was and then I told her a personal story…

During one summer in college, I answered a classified ad in the newspaper. The gig? Delivering phone books. I reported to a warehouse in Spokane Valley where a gruff guy interviewed me for 10 minutes in a makeshift office. Convinced that I wasn’t going to hoard the phone books for myself, he hired me and assigned me a route. The guy then helped me pack every spot in my small Nissan Sentra with phone books.

For the next couple weeks, my time was consumed with delivering phone books to front porches. The pay structure was based on how many books I delivered, with each book netting me something like $.10.

Yep, not something I was going to get rich on.

I was kept honest by automated telephone calls that were placed to the households on my route. The recording would confirm that the person received a phone book. As you can imagine, this work could get strenuous. Hauling phone books in the heat through hilly neighborhoods at a dime per delivery wasn’t exactly a cushy job.

Thankfully, I didn’t do the phone book racket for too long. A road construction job I held for a couple summers started again so I said “peace out” to my phone book delivery duties after finishing my route.

But the experience did build a little character, put some money in my pocket, and provided a story that I could one day tell my children about. Little did I know how educational that story would end up being. Don’t Blink.

Our Resident Spider-Man

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Did you have an item that you wore obsessively as a kid? Most likely it was a hat and it ushered you through a phase. I had a white ball cap I wore all the time. My brother donned a plastic construction hat that was basically glued to his head as he wore it even during naps. My niece wouldn’t be caught dead without her stocking cap during a long stretch of her toddler years.

Well, Beau has hit a similar phase but instead of a hat it is a head-to-toe Spider-Man costume. About 10 days ago, Sidney was cleaning when Beau’s Halloween costume re-surfaced. Our son happened to be near Sid when she found it and since then he has been a perpetual 3.5-foot Spider-Man.

Beau has been wearing his Spider-Man costume around the house A LOT lately.

He jumped into the suit right away and ran through the house shooting imaginary webs at us. Beau kept the costume on throughout the Saturday as we hung around the house. Once we did actually need to run an errand, we told Beau it was time to ditch the costume. He wasn’t having it. Insistent upon remaining Spider-Man, he wore it in the car and out in public. That was just the beginning…

Over the past 10 days, I have had to strap a mini Spider-Man into his car seat more than once.

Throughout the Memorial Day weekend, Beau continued to wear the costume. It didn’t come off when we went geocaching, to my parents’ house, or to a church meeting. On Tuesday when he returned to school, we had to explain that Spider-Man went against the St. Mary dress code. That didn’t stop him from putting it back on right when we arrived home after the school day. Even during this past weekend, Beau continued to spin webs in his Spidey suit.

On our geocaching adventures, Spider-Man summons his powers to help us find the caches. This photo was taken at Saltese Cemetery.

When it all comes down to it, there are worst things that a 4-year-old can be obsessed with. Perhaps any iota of sarcasm you sense just comes from the fact that it gets annoying to put the costume back on. Beau needs an adult’s help to get inside the jumpsuit. You have to help him put it on feet first and then fasten him up. The costume is secured by aligning three Velcro patches near the back of the neck. Not only does the costume come on/off naturally throughout the day (or a typical after school afternoon), but Beau has to go to the bathroom…a lot. Each time nature calls, we have to help him take it off and then put it back on.

Beau has been defending our neighborhood in his Spider-Man costume.

As I write this, the phase is still in full force. How long until our little Spider-Man decides to be content with just being Beau? I guess it is anyone’s guess. In the meantime, I think our neighborhood is safe from Doctor Octopus. Don’t Blink.