Dr Pepper has been gaining ground on its competitors, even as the overall soda market goes flat.
In the pantheon of sodas, Dr Pepper is the odd one out: It doesn't have the popularity or sales of Coca-Cola or Pepsi, you can't use it in a standard cocktail, and it doesn't fall neatly into a category like cola or root beer.
Founded in 1885 in Waco, Texas, Dr Pepper was the first in a wave of 19th-century upstart soda companies. The little brand rose to prominence in the latter half of the 20th century and helped shape the soda industry, all while cultivating its reputation as an outsider. Coca-Cola established itself most quickly, aided by its invention of the coupon, which offered free samples of its new beverage. Pepsi positioned itself as a less expensive competitor to Coke.
In the 1960s, PepsiCo sued Dr Pepper for trademark infringement. Dr Pepper countered, accusing Pepsi of denying the beverage entry to its distribution platform. In 1963, a judge ruled for the bottler, opening the door to the product's national expansion. Today, Dr Pepper advertises itself as a treat, using a pint-sized mascot called Lil' Sweet in its commercials. Another campaign, Fanville, is set in a fictionalized world where people are obsessed with college football and also Dr Pepper, positioning the beverage as a cult favorite.
But both Coke's and Pepsi's deals were blocked, as the FTC decided the beverages were similar enough to pose a possible antitrust threat.