Dr Pepper Snapple Group and MTVN Music Group Announce Campaign to Drop Sun Drop Citrus Soda on a Thirsty Nation

PLANO, Texas and NEW YORK, Dec. 9, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) and MTVN Music Group, a division of Viacom's MTV Networks (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), today announced a groundbreaking multi-year agreement to nationally promote and distribute Sun Drop, a citrus soda originally introduced in 1949, and a favorite in the Carolinas and the Midwest.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20101209/DA15176)

The Sun Drop campaign is the latest project of MTV Scratch, MTV's recently announced in-house creative team, and represents a pioneering new marketing approach for DPS. DPS will tap MTV's unique ability to reach and connect with young consumers, as MTV Scratch develops Sun Drop's brand strategy and creative across all marketing platforms.

"Sun Drop has an incredibly passionate fan base, and we believe MTV can help us broaden that connection with millennials who can take it to the next level," said Jim Trebilcock, executive vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper Snapple Group.  "MTV knows this generation of consumers better than anyone, and their marketing reach will help drive demand for Sun Drop and expand national distribution."

"Sun Drop lovers nationwide have waited long enough," said Ross Martin, executive vice president for MTV Scratch.  "We're teaming up with Dr Pepper Snapple to bring Sun Drop fans the taste they love and crave and a fresh new citrus flavor to those about to try it for the very first time.  We're psyched to be teaming up with visionary marketers at DPS to spread the Sun Drop love across the country." 

"DPS and MTV are taking a pioneering approach to bringing consumer insight, creative ideas and execution and powerful platforms together to successfully launch products to the marketplace," added Sean Moran, executive vice president of advertising sales for MTVN Music Group. "With DPS, we're not only creating an innovative campaign for a great product, but forging new thinking and new business models in an increasingly complex media environment."

The Sun Drop campaign spotlights one of the most beloved brands in the DPS portfolio.  Sun Drop's authentic taste has made it a top five brand in many of the markets where it is currently available.  Flavored beverages such as Sun Drop are the fastest growing segment in all carbonated soft drinks.  Also known as non-colas, flavored beverages have gained steadily on colas over the past 20 years and now represent more than 50 percent of all carbonated soft-drink retail sales in measured channels. 

MTV Scratch will develop all aspects of brand marketing for Sun Drop – ranging from new packaging graphics to advertising and promotions.  Sun Drop will also appear within some of MTV's hottest properties, including the 25th anniversary season of "The Real World," which premieres this spring from Las Vegas, and MTV's college network indie music tent pole, "The mtvU Woodie Awards," which will air live from Austin, Texas, during the popular SXSW festival. Additionally, Sun Drop will be featured as part of a multi-city consumer sampling initiative at music festivals and on college campuses across the United States.

DPS will leverage the strength of Sun Drop's brand equity, its network of bottling partners and its route to market to drive retail distribution with strong trade activation throughout the United States.  Retailer response to Sun Drop has been tremendously positive as a result of the  DPSG and MTV campaign.  Sun Drop will be available at major retailers across the country in 2011.

For more information, please visit us online at www.sundrop.com.

About Sun Drop

Sun Drop is one of many flavorful brands in the beverage portfolio of Dr Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) and its subsidiaries.  DPS is the leading producer of flavored soft drinks in North America and the Caribbean.  Our success is fueled by more than 50 brands that are synonymous with refreshment, fun and flavor.  We have 6 of the top 10 non-cola soft drinks, and 9 of our 12 leading brands are No. 1 in their flavor categories.  In addition to our flagship Dr Pepper and Snapple brands, our portfolio includes Sunkist soda, 7UP, A&W, Canada Dry, Crush, Mott's, Squirt, Hawaiian Punch, Peñafiel, Clamato, Schweppes, Venom Energy, Rose's and Mr & Mrs T mixers. To learn more about our Plano, Texas-based company and our iconic brands, please visit www.drpeppersnapple.com.

About MTV

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand.   With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people.  MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy®, Grammy® and Peabody® award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile.  MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is the leading destination for music, news and pop culture.  MTV is part of MTV Networks, a unit of Viacom (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.  For more information, go to www.mtvpress.com.

SOURCE Dr Pepper Snapple Group