The use of celebrities has long been an effective means to promote a product both in TV and radio commercials and in print media. It's not unreasonable to assume that if consumers see a celebrity they admire touting the virtues of a product or service, they will be more likely to try it themselves. Another successful technique often used by advertisers is introducing humor in ads in an attempt to entertain consumers and associate positive emotions with the product. This 7-Up ad, one of several used during the years 1979 to 1981 featuring Lynda Carter and Don Rickles, utilized both of these methods.
At the time this ad was published, Lynda had wrapped up a successful run as the star of the TV series Wonder Woman just two years prior and had appeared in several movies. Don Rickles had made appearances in numerous TV series and movies, and was well known for his pointed and sometimes insulting humor. The 7-Up ad campaign paired the two of them in various environments, trading good-natured barbs over the diet drink. One of Lynda's catchphrases was that it "did not have the funny diet taste," referring to the aftertaste from saccharin, the most commonly used sweetener for diet sodas at that time. Although Diet 7-Up did contain a sugar substitute, the lemon-lime flavor masked the chemical aftertaste more successfully than was the case with the diet colas of the day.
Diet 7 Up has undergone quite a few changes since 1981; it is now sweetened with aspartame rather than saccharin, and is available in a cherry-flavored version in addition to the original. It would have been interesting to have Lynda and Don reunited in a newer campaign, poking good-natured fun at each other over a glass of Diet Cherry 7-Up. The result would likely have been just as entertaining and successful as it was in 1979-81.
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