Dr Pepper Reprises $1 Million Football Throw Contest
Dr Pepper is back to quench college football fans’ thirst for $1 million. Now in its 11th year, the beverage maker is giving two fans a chance to win a $1 million cash prize as part of its 2006 ESPN College Pick ’em Game presented by Dr Pepper. The promotion is touted on more than 300 million Dr Pepper cans.
In December, each contestant will walk away with the prize if they hit the target—an oversized Dr Pepper can replica—several times at a college championship game.
The two finalists (one each for the Atlantic Coast Conference and Big 12 Conference) must throw 10 footballs from the 5-yard line into a two-foot hole cut into the Dr Pepper can placed on the goal line in 30 seconds or less. Each successful pass nets $10,000. At the end of the 30 seconds, the grand prize finalists will proceed to the 20-yard line and attempt to pass one single football into the can. If successful, the finalist will multiply their winnings from the first round by 10.
Fans enter the College Pick ’em Game at ESPN.com. For 13 weeks ending Nov. 25, consumers select teams they think will win college football games each week and assign confidence points for their selection. During the promotion, radio talk show host Mike Golic, from Mike and Mike in the Morning ESPN radio show, will compete against all fans by filling out his own entry each week. A grand prize winner (one with the most points at the end of the promotion) and 36 randomly selected fans who accumulate more points than Golic will fly to an Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) or Big 12 Conference championship game to participate in a preliminary competition on Dec. 1. At that time, each finalist competes by throwing a football from the five-yard line at the Dr Pepper can. Contestants will be eliminated if the football fails to make contact with the target. The one remaining contestant at each game becomes the grand prize finalist and receives the opportunity to throw for up to $1 million.
The most a contestant has won so far is $400,000 in 2003, said Courtney Griffin, promotion manager at Dr Pepper. The contest is designed to “enhance the college football experience and give fans more to cheer about during the college football season,” she added.
As part of the promotion, 299 randomly selected participants will also receive a branded autographed Mike Golic football or jersey T-shirts.
“What we’ve learned about consumers is that they’re very passionate about their sport,” Griffin said. “Dr Pepper consumers are sitting in the seats of those stadiums. It seems like a natural fit to connect further with those consumers in an ongoing basis, year-after-year through this program.”
To support the campaign, Dr Pepper also produces branded T-shirts, pullovers, caps, footballs and merchandise for tailgating parties available at retailers and convenience stores.
In-store signage, 250,000 P-O-P signs, ESPN.com banner ads, ESPN the Magazine prints ads and ads across ESPN’s networks and radio and TV spots support.
Dr Pepper handles in house with Dallas-based Square One, Inc.
Dr Pepper, a brand of Plano, TX-based Cadbury Schweppes, is the title sponsor of the ACC Championship, which will take place in Jacksonville and is in its 11th year as title sponsor of the Big 12 Conference Championship, set for Kansas City, MO. The brand is also the exclusive presenting partner of the SEC Championship Game to be played on Dec. 2 in Atlanta. Both the ACC and Big 12 Conference championship games will be broadcast on ABC, while the SEC match-up will be on CBS.
