• by Danielle Oster , October 8, 2024

There have been no shortage of atypical brands collaborations and partnerships in recent years, but an insurance mascot showing up in a soda ad still manages to be unexpected.

Last Friday, Dr Pepper rolled out the latest ad in this year’s “Fansville” campaign celebrating college football. Entitled “Feeding the Ducks,” the ad takes a self-referential, satirical tone, opening with a son asking his father, “Dad, do you ever feel like college football is being changed by all this corporate money flooding into the sport?” After responding that he missed the question because he was reaching for “a delicious Dr Pepper,” and the pair being joined by someone bringing along Dr Pepper’s new Strawberry & Cream offering, the Aflac duck shows up for a cameo.

While the duck's appearance owill come as a surprise to most viewers, both brands can boast of long-running associations with college football. Dr Pepper is celebrating its 10th season sponsoring the College Football Playoffs. Aflac, meanwhile, boasts that the brand's marketing relationship with the sport goes back over two decades.

The ad falls in line with the tongue-in-cheek tone of the franchise, with “Into The Unknown” and “Hype Train” back in August marking the seventh consecutive year for “Fansville.”

“Fansville” will continue running throughout the college football season -- including TV ads across channels including CBS, ESPN, and Fox, as well as digital, radio, OOH, and social media activations.

The latest “Fansville” ad arrives ahead of another Dr Pepper collaboration featured in this year’s campaign.  The brand partnered with fashion designer Nigel Xavier, winner of Netflix’s “Next In Fashion” on a series of Dr Pepper-inspired football outfits kicking off with a Dr Pepper x Nigel Xavier jacket available through the Dr Pepper Perks rewards program, beginning Nov. 1.

In a July earnings call with inventors discussing the results of its Q2 earnings report, Keurig Dr Pepper CEO Tim Cofer said there was reason to “feel
good about” what he characterized as an “exciting” year for the “Fansville” campaign, while noting the extended college football season under new rules adopted by teams this year.