🥤Dr Pepper: The Mystery & Magic of America’s #2 Soda | 37

Born in a sweltering Texas drugstore in 1885 - this indescribable, 23 (secret) ingredient concoction broke the first rule of marketing: never sell something you can't explain. Behind this mystery brew was Charles Alderton, a flavor-obsessed pharmacist who sold his recipe and walked away, and a big-footed CEO who turned Dr Pepper's greatest weakness into its ultimate strength by making "different" feel rebellious. From dodging regulations to outsmarting Coca-Cola's distribution contracts, Dr Pepper became the Switzerland of sodas — neutral in the Cola Wars but somehow winning them anyway. It survived Coke's knockoff attempts (hello, Mr. Pibb), turned frenemies into business partners, and in 2023 finally overtook Pepsi to become America's #2 soda. Find out how being impossible to describe can be the perfect marketing strategy, the importance of a home-turf advantage, and why Dr Pepper is the best idea yet.

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