Dr Pepper's Viral Jingle: Key Findings
- The soda brand licensed a fan-made TikTok jingle, moving it directly into a national championship broadcast.
- The spot aired during the College Football Playoff title game on ESPN, placing creator-originated audio inside premium live sports media.
- On-screen creator credit remained intact, reinforcing expectations around authorship and visible acknowledgment.
Campaign Snapshot
Dr Pepper converted a viral fan moment into its College Football Playoff (CFP) Championship commercial.
It licensed a homemade TikTok jingle created by Romeo Bingham and turned it into a 15-second spot aired on ESPN on January 19.
This gives a creator-led idea exposure inside one of the most valuable live sports broadcasts in the U.S.
The jingle first appeared on TikTok in late December and quickly spread through remixes, brand replies, and fan engagement.
@romeosshow @Dr Pepper please get back to me with a proposition we can make thousands together. #drpepper#soda#beverage♬ original sound - Romeo
Instead of reworking the idea, Dr Pepper chose to preserve the original audio and tone, carrying the language of short-form video into a traditional TV environment.
Deutsch partnered with Dr Pepper on the execution, focusing on simplicity and fidelity to what audiences already responded to.
“Rather than overcomplicating the idea, we focused on honoring what made the jingle special in the first place,” Deutsch Co-CCO Ryan Lehr said in a statement.
The result kept the creator’s voice recognizable while translating cleanly to broadcast.
A Creator Moment Too Good to Ignore
Dr Pepper has long been embedded in college football culture, including its role as an official CFP sponsor and its ongoing presence across major conferences.
This context made the championship broadcast a natural place to elevate a fan-generated idea that had already found traction.
@speedymorman nah congrats queen @Romeo ♬ original sound - speedy
Ben Sylvan, SVP of connected media for Dr Pepper, shared that the scale of engagement around the jingle made the decision straightforward:
“The signal was so loud that ignoring it wasn’t really an option.”
This reinforces how closely Dr Pepper’s brand identity is tied to fan participation within college football.
Elevating a fan-made idea on this stage shows that the brand treats audience expression as part of how its presence is built and sustained.
A Fan-Made Jingle on ESPN
Bingham, a 25-year-old actor and singer from Tacoma, Washington, posted the original jingle on Dec. 23 without brand involvement.
The video spread quickly, drawing remixes and responses that pushed total views past 5.2 million.
The jingle reflected genuine affection from a fan, something brands often struggle to replicate through planned production.
Sylvan said moments like this reinforce brand loyalty while extending relevance, especially when brands respond in real time.
@romeosshow THANKYOU GUYYYSSS THAT WAS AWESOME I LOVE YOU #drpepper#commercial#nationalchampionship♬ Applause - Clapping Sound Effect 4 - Hollywood Sound Effects
For Dr Pepper, the appeal extended beyond reach, as the audio reflected genuine brand affection from a real fan, a signal that’s increasingly difficult to manufacture.
Sylvan noted that creator-led moments help reinforce loyalty while expanding relevance:
“It helps us nurture our raving fans, and it also helps us grow the brand.”
The brand plans to continue collaborating with Bingham on follow-up social content, positioning creators as partners.
The activation highlights how brands are recalibrating their relationship with creators, media, and ownership of culture:
- Audience response validates creative direction. Momentum at scale is increasingly treated as proof of readiness for premium placement.
- Live sports can carry native ideas intact. Broadcast reach does not require stripping creator work of its original tone.
- Visible credit builds trust. Acknowledging authorship strengthens brand standing inside creator-driven communities.
Dr Pepper shows that a fan-made idea can travel from a phone screen to the biggest night in college football without losing its identity.
Our Take: Does Creator Partnership Scale?
I think it does when the signal is clear.
Dr Pepper trusted a fan-made idea enough to place it inside the CFP Championship, showing that audience energy can now justify premium media on its own terms.
This trust matters more than polish in moments like this.
We’re seeing the same logic elsewhere, from Nothing working with iShowSpeed to Salesforce aligning with MrBeast ahead of Super Bowl 2026.
Brands that engage creators early are reading signals sooner, and these signals increasingly determine which ideas reach the biggest stages.
Looking to work with agencies that understand how creator momentum scales into national media?
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