The can design was built for the Valentine's shelf, swapping Dr Pepper's standard maroon for a pink and purple colourway decorated with roses, making it instantly distinguishable from the core range. The romantic theme carried through the whole campaign, with billboard advertising inviting passers-by to step into the Dr's office for romantic advice, in-store sampling and influencer partnerships.

The launch also ran an on-pack promotion through the Coca-Cola app, where scanning the QR code on packs gave fans the chance to win Valentine's themed prizes including a crafted ring, a cosy couples hoodie, hand-holding socks and couples mittens.

The flavour proved a genuine cult hit. After the limited run ended, fans flooded TikTok with petitions, reaction videos and pleas for its return, and just before Valentine's Day 2026 CCEP confirmed Cherry Crush had earned a permanent place on UK shelves. Cherry variants had been driving over half of all value sales growth across colas in the year before launch, and Dr Pepper is the second largest flavoured carbonate brand in Britain.

Inside is the zero sugar Dr Pepper blend with a bold cherry twist. Sold as a single 330ml can priced at 90p, alongside 500ml, 2 litre and multipack formats.

A can with a genuine story: a Valentine's one-off that fans refused to let die.