Dive Brief:

• Mug Root Beer is hawking custom DNA testing kits in a marketing stunt inspired by its dog mascot and fervent social media fandom, per details shared with Marketing Dive. 
• The Mug Root Beer Dawg DNA Kit, which drops on the brand’s official TikTok Shop page Jan. 10, includes a can of Mug, a “dog drool” dropper, a test card and a real canine DNA testing kit so pet owners can compare results with their furry friends.   
• The novelty product is supported by social content in the form of a mock genealogy show, titled “Genes with Gene,” that riffs on programs like “Finding Your Roots.” Mug has achieved online meme status, which has helped drive sales momentum for the PepsiCo soft drink. 

Dive Insight:

Mug is leaning into niche internet humor with the release of a novelty DNA testing kit that will tell users whether they really “got that dawg” in them, a popular online phrase alluding to someone’s degree of personal drive and one befitting the soda brand’s bulldog mascot. The PepsiCo root beer purveyor has become the object of several memes in recent years, including Mug Moment and TikTok videos where fans express, perhaps semi-ironically, a near-religious devotion to drinking Mug. 

While some of the attention on Mug is the product of inscrutable content creator humor, the trend appears to be boosting business. The beverage brand closed 2024 with a 34% increase in dollar sales and a rate of growth above that of the general root beer vertical, according to information shared with Marketing Dive. 

Now, Mug is seeking out its true devotees by selling a DNA testing kit that rates how much dawg the subject really has in her, with results ranging from 30% (presumably a low amount of dawg) to the rare and not especially scientific 110% dawg status. Recipients are recommended to take a sip of the included Mug can, provide a saliva sample and apply it to a testing card. In addition, the box has a real dog DNA kit with an estimated $90 retail value.

Mug is promoting the drop with a mock program that parodies shows where people dive deeper into their ancestry. In “Genes with Gene,” a buttoned-up host tells his interview subject that he’s got that dog in him, a revelation that’s followed by Mug’s mascot storming the room and throwing a dance party. Agency VaynerMedia is behind the social content. 

The first 200 consumers to purchase two 10-packs of Mug Root Beer Mini Cans, a recent product launch, through Mug’s TikTok Shop will receive a test kit for free. More brands are experimenting with TikTok’s e-commerce marketplace as the video app remains a driver of shopping trends and a key destination for elusive Gen Z consumers. TikTok is facing a potential ban in the U.S. that could go into effect later this month but marketers and creators alike continue to conduct business as usual on the social media platform.