Dr Pepper babyyy, it’s good and nice! Doo Doo Doo!

“The signal was so loud that ignoring it wasn’t really an option,” Ben Sylvan, senior VP of connected media for Dr Pepper, said.

TikTok creator Romeo Bingham (@romeosshow) created a short, catchy jingle for Dr Pepper that went viral, and the jingle has been picked up by Dr Pepper and turned into a spot slated to run during the College Football Playoff National Championship. Dr Pepper is an official sponsor of the playoffs and of major college football conferences such as the SEC and Big Ten. And its ongoing “Fansville” franchise is one of the major pillars of the brand’s growth.

The earworm was originally posted on Dec. 23 on Bingham’s TikTok and blew up on the platform, inspiring remixes and creator videos that pushed total views into the millions. Dr Pepper and many other major brands watched and moved quickly. Many brands (from Popeye’s to Indeed) were in the comments begging for Bingham to create a jingle for them, too. 

Dr Pepper licensed the jingle and worked with agency Deutsch to build a 15-second TV commercial that leans on the original hook and on-screen lyrics. @Romeosshow’s credit appears in the bottom corner, similar to the style of a music video. The ad will air during the CFP championship on ESPN. 

Sylvan told reporters that college football is a cultural touchstone for the brand and that the viral moment made ignoring the creator impossible. Deutsch’s creatives said they intentionally kept the execution faithful to the viral audio rather than overcomplicate the spot. Ryan Lehr, the agency’s co-chief creative officer said, “Rather than overcomplicating the idea, we focused on honoring what made the jingle special in the first place. We kept the execution simple, built around the original hook, and let the earworm lead.”

Bingham, a 25-year-old caregiver from Tacoma, Washington, told Ad Age via email that they were already a Dr Pepper fan before posting the video, with friends and family often teasing them for ordering the soda “no ice” when dining out. Bingham didn’t expect their video to go viral. They said, “I was blown away once it took off like that.”

Sylvan said, “It helps us nurture our raving fans, and it also helps us grow the brand.”

The activation highlights how brands are increasingly harvesting creator-made audio and grassroots trends as ready-made creative assets. In this case, a simple, catchy line and fans’ appetite to turn it into a shared moment became the catalyst for a national ad buy and a direct creator partnership. Dr Pepper also intends to collaborate with the creator on follow-up social content.