On Strategy Showcase
Host: Fergus O’Carroll
Episode: On the Spot: British Airways and Dr. Pepper
Date: October 19, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode explores the brand strategies behind two notable campaigns: British Airways’ “A British Original” (by Uncommon, London) and Dr. Pepper’s long-running “Fansville” campaign (by Deutsch, Los Angeles). A panel of strategy experts analyze the challenges and successes of both, highlighting how each brand has navigated changing consumer landscapes, leveraging cultural identity and fan-centricity to reinvigorate meaning and relevance.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. British Airways – “A British Original”

Brand Challenges and Context

• Post-Covid Difficulties: British Airways (BA) faced severe reputation and service issues, including aging fleets, cutbacks, and loss of premium status (05:39, Steve).
• Brand Perception Split: While many outside the UK still see BA as a premium brand, within the UK, BA is perceived as symbolic of “broken Britain” and austerity (06:58, Steve).
• Marketing Problem: BA needed to drive frequency of travel, particularly with UK domestic routes lagging in recovery, while restoring a sense of pride and premium-ness without product upgrades (07:16, Steve).

Strategic and Creative Execution

• Avoiding the In-Flight Product: “You can't show the inside of a plane.” Campaign focus was placed on Britishness, humor, and cultural empathy (05:39, Steve).
• Empathy and Cultural Codes: Over 500 out-of-home executions, showcasing uniquely British scenarios that evoke national pride and inclusivity. (09:00, Dan).
  • “They're replaying that Heathrow scene from Love Actually on billboards” (09:00, Dan).
• Tone: Sarcastic, witty, avoiding sentimentality, and leveraging British humor. “Just putting a little bit of a barrier between you and sincerity. But underneath it, there’s a kindness and an empathy...” (16:13, Dan).

Data & Effectiveness

• Strength in Relevance: Humorous, locally resonant executions boosted brand preference among young Brits (11:09, Matt).
• Attribute Cloud: BA remains synonymous with tradition and premium, but faces new cost and value perceptions (12:53, Matt).
• Audience Split: Preference for BA is climbing among 18-34 year olds (+7 points to 67%), but falling among 55+ (-7 points to 46%) (21:06, Matt).
• Testing Results: Out-of-home creative performed “well above benchmark” in UK (3.0+ vs. 2.5), though the “Windows” creative had weaker brand linkage (16:44, Vanessa).
  • “Branding is instantly recognizable and the humor is there.” (17:28, Vanessa).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “[BA] represented everything that had gone wrong with Britain…” (06:58, Steve)
• “They spent a lot of time trying to find the Britishness and the empathy…” (09:00, Dan)
• “You can fall in love with the brand pretty quickly if you love the UK.” (14:07, Dan)

2. Dr. Pepper – “Fansville”

Brand History and Market Dynamics

• Outsider Vibe: Dr. Pepper historically positions itself as distinct and “a bit weird,” always the #2 or #3 soda, with a cult following (25:26, Dan).
• Market Share: Now outpaces Pepsi in the US with 8% market share, second only to Coca-Cola (24:20, Fergus).

Campaign Evolution

• Transition from Larry Culpepper: Post-campaign collapse, needed bold reinvention (28:05, Fergus).
• Fansville Concept: Built around the irrational, passionate fandom of college football—focusing on fans, not athletes (28:57, Steve).
  • “Dr. Pepper is for the people in the stands.” (28:36, Fergus)
  • “Who knows why you love Dr. Pepper, who knows why you love college football? But here's something that's a little random and a little quirky…” (29:36, Steve)
• Episodic Storytelling: Fansville is a serial “fictional small town” for fans, mirroring classic soap operas with recurring characters and long arcs (28:57–30:50, Fergus & Steve).
  • “It creates a new usage occasion... Every Saturday when we watch college football as a family, we also drink Dr. Pepper.” (27:28, Dan)
• IP Expansion: Character migration into cross-brand collaborations (Nissan’s Heisman House, Goodyear) creates a “Pepperverse” (40:13, Dan).

Data & Effectiveness

• Distinctiveness: “Like no other” is a major consideration/preference driver, especially strong among older audiences (36:58, Matt).
• Brand Scores: Recent Fansville ads score exceptionally high among football fans (4.5+), exceeding Pepsi and Coke in both short-term and long-term branding (34:56, Vanessa).
• Audience Shifts: Preference +15 percentage points among people 55+, while younger audience metrics have plateaued (36:58, Matt).
• Entertainment Value: Commended for creative consistency, fun, and relevance to “superfans” (34:56, Vanessa).

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “They've built an audience rather than bought one.” (33:25, Steve)
• “A badge of difference is a really interesting positioning when the brand leader is a badge of togetherness...” (37:44, Steve)
• “We succeed when we give fans something worthy of their devotion.” (40:25, Dan quoting Matt Groening)
• “No notes. Just keep bringing the fun scripts.” (45:13, Vanessa)

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

| Segment | Speaker(s) | Timestamp | |-----------------------------------------------|---------------|-----------| | BA’s Reputation Challenges | Steve | 05:39–07:16 | | Imagining the Brief on “No In-Flight” | Steve | 06:54–07:16 | | BA’s Tone, Britishness, & Empathy | Dan | 09:00–10:37 | | BA Audience Data Split (UK vs. US) | Matt | 10:49–12:46 | | BA Out-of-Home Testing Results | Vanessa | 16:44–18:55 | | BA Preference by Age (↑ Young, ↓ Old) | Matt | 21:06–22:13 | | Dr. Pepper’s Outsider Positioning | Dan | 25:26–27:26 | | “Fansville” Concept and Rationale | Fergus/Steve | 28:05–30:50 | | Episodic Strategy and Audience Building | Steve/Dan | 33:25–34:38 | | Fansville Campaign Effectiveness Data | Vanessa | 34:56–36:55 | | Dr. Pepper Preference Data & Age Trends | Matt | 36:58–37:41 | | Dr. Pepper as Badge of Difference | Steve | 37:44–38:43 | | BA & Dr. Pepper Campaigns — Final Takeaways | Roundtable | 41:30–46:53 |

Memorable Quotes

• On British Airways:

  • “It's a really smart answer to how do we get some shine and luster back into a brand that isn't ready yet to go ‘ta da’.” – Steve (19:47)
  • “There’s a theater to everything... the uniforms, the food, the slip upper lip of the service.” – Dan (14:07)
  • “The campaign exceeded benchmarks for UK out-of-home. Branding up into the 90s...” – Vanessa (17:28)

• On Dr. Pepper:

  • “Dr. Pepper is right there... [with] a wave of spice forward, palate change in the US.” – Dan (25:26)
  • “I love it when people throw logic out the window and there’s an intimacy with the audience.” – Steve (41:30)
  • “They've built an audience rather than bought one.” – Steve (33:25)
  • “Fansville... no notes. It is crushing it against their goal of connecting with football fans.” – Vanessa (45:13)
  • “We succeed when we give fans something worthy of their devotion.” – Dan quoting Matt Groening (40:25)

Panelists & Perspectives

• Steve Walls (Planner, Zurich): BA’s campaign navigates constraints smartly, but some elements risk speaking more to industry peers than the public. Dr. Pepper’s emotional irrationality connects deeply: “I love it when people throw logic out of the window…” (41:30)
• Dan Ng (CSO, Johannes Leonardo): Both BA and Dr. Pepper successfully reframed their brand meaning in line with contemporary culture. For Dr. Pepper: “You’re just, you know, you’re a little bit different, but there’s millions of you…” (45:18)
• Matt Herbert (Tracksuit): BA’s humor and relevance is boosting youth preference; Dr. Pepper wins by embracing distinctiveness and staying “like nothing else."
• Vanessa Chen (System 1): Both brands are “bringing the show”—entertainment is at the heart. Dr. Pepper’s creative consistency with Fansville is an “exceptional case.”

Summary Table: Brand Challenges and Strategic Moves

| Brand | Challenge | Strategic Move | Results/Insights | |----------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------|------------------------------| | British Airways| Lost premium edge, limited product improvement | Leaned into Britishness, humor, empathy | ↑ Forward for young Brits, strong emotional response in UK out-of-home campaigns | | Dr. Pepper | Outsider status, niche appeal | Built episodic Fansville world for fans, not players | Created cultural ritual, ↑ preference among older fans, strong branding, long-running campaign |

Final Conclusions

• British Airways: Smartly avoided product weaknesses by emboldening British identity, humor, and cultural nuances. Particularly effective with young UK consumers; a tricky balance with older demographics experiencing legacy disappointment.
• Dr. Pepper: Embraced its outsider flavor and archetype, building a world (“Fansville”) that centers irrational fan devotion. A masterclass in consistent, participatory, property-based storytelling—transforming a niche cult brand into a mainstream badge of collective difference.

Both campaigns prove the power of reframing brand meaning through authentic cultural connection, humor, and bold creative choices rather than rational product-led messaging.

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