Dr Pepper’s Larry Culpepper character is not going anywhere, as the lynchpin of the soft drink’s College Football Playoff sponsorship for the last three years will be back again in '17. Dr Pepper Snapple Group VP/Media Blaise D'Sylva broke the not-entirely-surprising news during Day 1 of the '17 Intersport Brand Engagement Summit after commenting on the enduring popularity of the character. Heading into '16, execs were concerned that the Culpepper character might be growing a little stale after two years, but recent research showed that fans still love him. “All the metrics are still very positive on Larry,” D’Sylva said, noting that the company had to hire security to help the character navigate appearances at the championship fan festival. “If you’re at an event, it’s amazing how popular he is." Dr Pepper started modestly with its CFP sponsorship in the first year, but has since expanded to cover multiple periods of the season, not just the playoff, and added new retail and experiential components, D’Sylva said. He said the key to the entire strategy is having broad enough rights that Dr Pepper can integrate into the entire tradition of college football, and to produce many different pieces of creative to keep the Culpepper character from growing old. “It starts with the idea,” D’Sylva said. “And when you have a great idea and it seems to work really well, all the other elements flow really nicely.”
