If you’re not chronically online, you might not know about the Dr. Pepper jingle, its origins, or why a billion-dollar company used a song created by a TikToker in its latest ad campaign.
Dr. Pepper is a beloved brand. Cult-like following. So much so that one content creator — named Romeo — created her own jingle for the brand.
It was simple, and the entire video — including the introduction — lasted 11 seconds.
“Dr. Pepper, baby. It’s good and nice. Doo doo doo.”
That’s it. That’s the entire jingle.
Despite its simplicity, the “theme song”, as Romeo called it, quickly went viral. It has more than 4 million likes on TikTok and has garnered more than 35 million views.
During the College Football Playoff National Championship Game on Monday night, Dr. Pepper launched a new campaign featuring the song. It’s only 15 seconds, but went subsequently viral in its own right.
The moment got me thinking about what lessons this could serve news/talk radio professionals, or any media figure for that matter.
I think there are two important lessons to be gleaned from this.
Never Pass Up Goodwill
Dr. Pepper is a billion-dollar brand. That matters, because it destroys the convenient excuse that only smaller companies need to chase momentum. When a brand with that kind of scale sees a viral TikTok moment, recognizes the positivity surrounding it, and turns that goodwill into a full-fledged advertising campaign, it sends a clear message. No one is too big to benefit from being liked.
Goodwill is currency. In news and talk radio, it may be the most undervalued asset in the building. Any chance you get to be viewed favorably by your audience, you should take it. That doesn’t mean forcing yourself into every conversation or stapling your logo onto anything trending. It does mean understanding when the public is already smiling in your direction and leaning into it.
Dr. Pepper didn’t create the moment. They didn’t script it or manufacture it. They recognized it, respected it, and amplified it. That distinction matters. Listeners can tell when you’re hijacking a trend versus when you’re participating in one. The former feels desperate. The latter feels smart.
Radio professionals often overthink this part. They wait for perfect alignment or worry about whether a moment is “on brand.” Meanwhile, the window for positivity quietly closes. Any opportunity to tie your show, station, or personality to something people already enjoy is worth serious consideration. If you can be part of the conversation instead of reacting to it later, you should pounce. Never let a promotional opportunity go to waste when the audience is already doing half the work for you.
You Don’t Have to Rush It, Though
The original TikTok that sparked Dr. Pepper’s campaign went viral nearly a month before the first commercial aired. Predictably, the criticism followed. People online wondered why the brand didn’t move faster or strike while the iron was hot. That critique misunderstands what actually happened next.
When the ad debuted during the National Championship Game, it went viral again. Millions of viewers already knew the jingle and the backstory. Familiarity turned into anticipation, and anticipation turned into another moment. That doesn’t happen when you rush something out just to say you were there.
Dr. Pepper didn’t half-ass the attempt or try to stretch 15 minutes of fame into 16. They took their time, invested properly, and executed with confidence. The result was not a trailing reaction, but a second wave of attention that felt earned.
This is a critical lesson for news and talk radio. Speed matters, but timing matters more. Chasing every trend at the tail end often makes you sound late and out of touch. Creating something thoughtful that extends the life of a moment is far more valuable.
Starting a new conversation, or restarting an existing one, beats rushing to be first and forgotten. When you do it right, you’re not riding the wave. You’re creating another one.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing daily news stories, features, and opinion columns. He joined Barrett Media in 2022 after a decade leading several radio brands in several formats, as well as a 5-year stint working in local television. In addition to his work with Barrett Media, he is a radio and TV play-by-play broadcaster. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
