There may be nearly 7 billion people on Earth, but with its /1 (slash one) campaign Dr. Pepper wants you to know that none are quite like you.

Meant to convey that every person is 1/1 (one of one), the work for the nothing-tastes-quite-like-it soda celebrates the individuality of real-life people with one-of-a-kind stories. People like Jen Mayfield, a suburban mother of five who blows off steam as a roller derby queen. Or Mikaela Mayer, a model-turned-boxer who now puts her heretofore most valuable asset in the line of fire.

Brett Craig, EVP and Group Creative Director for Dr. Pepper at Deutsch, the agency behind the work, says the /1 concept stems from the human drive to be one of a kind (which also happens to match with Dr. Pepper’s positioning as “Always One of a Kind”). “We start out as just one of the billions of people in the world. But our choices, passions, and talents ultimately lead us all–to one degree or another–to become unlike anyone else.”

As for choosing such lesser-known figures like Mayfield and Mayer (versus the usual celeb endorsement route), Craig says, “Our only criteria for being a /1 was true, one-of-a-kind people with uncommonly surprising and entertaining stories. Some are famous, some are on their way up and some you would never have heard of, but they all are one of a kind.”

In addition to the spots featuring Mayfield and Mayer, the campaign also includes an anthem spot, “One in a Billion,” which debuts during the BCS national championship game, and future matchless personalities to be featured include 2011 U.S. Air Guitar champion Justin “Nordic Thunder” Howard and American Ballet Theatre soloist Misty Copeland.

Paired with tracks from bands like Sleigh Bells and Icona Pop, the spots, directed by Chris Milk of Radical Media, do a great job of emphasizing the decisions each person made to become their own 1/1.





“Being one of a kind is a very human insight at the end of the day, so we wanted the work to feel authentic and truthful,” adds Craig.