One Kansas State student who turned to Twitter to express her love for Dr Pepper prompted the surprise reveal of a 6-foot Dr Pepper soda fountain in her very own front lawn.
Claire Daniels, senior in communications studies, tweeted in December:
I really just need to have a Dr Pepper fountain installed in my house. That would probably be cheaper than how much I spend on it currently?
— Claire Daniels (@MsClaireDaniels) December 17, 2016
Lyndsay Loomer, associate brand manager of Dr Pepper, said Daniels’ tweet inspired their marketing team to hire engineers and artists to design and create a fountain with which they could surprise an “amazing fan” who had a passion for their brand.
“Claire had posted this great tweet about how she really just needs to have a Dr Pepper fountain installed in her house,” Loomer said. “We were really inspired by her love of the brand and wanted to have a fun twist on what exactly that means for her.”
Although Loomer said they imagined Daniels was thinking of a soda fountain one might see in a restaurant, the idea inspired them to take her idea and turn it into a life-size fountain, like one might see outside of a house.
Daniels said she had no idea what would happen.
“I honestly don’t know what I was picturing,” Daniels said. “It was just kind of like a joke-y kind of tweet.”
Just one month after Daniels posted the tweet, Dr Pepper’s marketing team reached out to Daniels and asked if they could come to Manhattan and surprise her as a reward for her loyalty.
“We tried to keep it vague,” Loomer said. “She (didn’t) know exactly what to expect.”
To surprise her, Daniels was kept upstairs in her house while being distracted by close friends and styled by a makeup artist. Meanwhile, the Dr Pepper team turned her front yard into a production set with lights, a few scripted actors and many cameras.
“I had never been a part of any sort of production, so that’s been really fun,” Daniels said.
It wasn’t until Daniels came downstairs and heard the sound of Dr Pepper flowing through the fountain that she thought her wish may have turned into reality.
“It’s really crazy,” Daniels said. “I’m still kind of in awe.”
After her initial awe wore off, Daniels, who gave up Dr Pepper for Lent, dipped her finger into the fountain to taste her favorite caffeinated beverage.
Even though Dr Pepper employees asked Daniels to not drink from the fountain after seeing her take a taste, they provided her with 100 12-packs of Dr Pepper.
Prior to giving up Dr Pepper for Lent, Daniels said she typically drank one to three servings of the soda each day.
Now, with a life-size fountain that holds five gallons of Dr Pepper — or about 36 two-liters — Daniels said Sunday “is going to be bad,” as Lent comes to an end.
“I just have always loved it,” Daniels said. “It’s the best tasting pop, I think.”
