What did Ohio State QB Will Howard’s viral Dr. Pepper campaign showcase? It all began with a simple text message.
Adrian Rios, 33, received an invitation in mid-January to direct a shoot for a Dr. Pepper campaign featuring the quarterback from the College Football Playoff national championship-winning team.
With eight years of experience as a creative director and over 500 shoots under his belt, Rios felt a unique energy surrounding this project. The tight timeline—game on January 20, flight to a filming location on January 21, and shooting on January 22—added to the excitement, especially since the identity of the featured quarterback was still uncertain just days before the shoot.
“At first, we didn’t know who we would be working with since it depended on the game’s outcome,” Rios explained. “We had concepts for both quarterbacks but were unsure if they would be on board.”
The creative spark came from a collaboration involving Dr. Pepper’s marketing team and Jake Korman from VaynerSports. They envisioned a lighthearted, humorous social media campaign inspired by the classic comedy film, “Zoolander.”
“When Korman pitched the idea, I was instantly on board,” Rios shared. “My job was to set up the shots and bring the concept to life.”
Fast forward to the night of the championship game, where Ohio State’s Ryan Day and the Buckeyes celebrated their victory over Notre Dame, 34-23, marking the program’s first title in ten years. With this win, OSU’s QB Will Howard became the star of Dr. Pepper’s post-championship campaign, a choice that exceeded the brand’s expectations.
“Watching Will lead Ohio State to victory made him the perfect choice to cap off an incredible season, especially since he’s been a lifelong Dr. Pepper fan,” remarked Derek Dabrowski, SVP of Brand Marketing at Dr. Pepper.
For Rios, this meant traveling from Arizona to Columbus, Ohio, to film a video that quickly gained traction on social media. By Wednesday morning, Howard’s Instagram post featuring the video had amassed over 51,000 likes and nearly 1,400 comments, many from his Ohio State teammates.
The FOX Sports team connected with Rios to discuss the shoot, his experience with Howard, and how a simple text message transformed into a viral phenomenon.
As the director of this video, can you describe your role and how this idea came to fruition?
“I directed the shoot while Jake Korman acted as our main contact. He envisioned a fun, Zoolander-style concept, and thankfully, Will and his team were excited about the idea. Given Will’s championship win, we wanted to celebrate his achievements while also having a good time.”
“The video performed exactly as we anticipated. His teammates had a blast roasting him in the comments. We knew the outrageous, humorous nature of the video would spark lively discussions online.”
“While I wouldn’t say it was out of character for Will—he has a vibrant personality—it was refreshing to see that side of him, especially after such a serious championship win. We aimed to create a fun atmosphere, and Will was a fantastic sport throughout the shoot.”
Will is known for his calm demeanor. Did you feel it might be challenging to get him involved, or were you confident it would work?
“Jake initially spoke with him and confirmed he was on board. You never know until you start shooting, but from the moment I met Will and shared the concept, he was laughing and enthusiastic. It just clicked.”
Were there moments when you had to encourage him to give more during the shoot?
“Not at all. He was eager from the start. We filmed a test shot to show him the concept, and once he saw it, he was fully engaged.”
How many takes did you end up doing?
“Honestly, a lot of the footage consists of us laughing while trying to get through the takes. We aimed for a balance between seriousness and humor, and there were a few moments where Will broke character due to laughter. It was a handful of takes, but nothing excessive.”
Was there a moment when he laughed the hardest, and you had to rein him in?
“Definitely! During the Dr. Pepper sip scenes, we had a waterfall shot that went hilariously wrong, drenching him. The wink shot also caused some wardrobe issues. Those moments were the highlights of our shoot.”
Did you anticipate the video would go viral and achieve such success?
“When approaching projects like this, the goal is always to create something unique. Given the abundance of similar content that week, we aimed for something fresh and enjoyable. While we hoped for virality, the outcome can be unpredictable. Fortunately, it exceeded our expectations, and the engagement was phenomenal.
“The moment I realized we had something special was when John Johnson, our director of photography, and I left the studio to edit. Once we started piecing together the first few seconds and captured that initial wink, we knew we had created something funny and memorable.”
One comment that stood out was from Ryan Day’s son, RJ, who stated, “this video sums you up as a person perfectly,” referring to Will. After working with him, do you agree?
“Absolutely. Will is genuinely fun to work with, and I can definitely see us hanging out. He has a fantastic personality. After spending an hour with him, it felt like we had known each other for much longer. That kind of energy is invaluable on set.”
