A business student’s dream of claiming a $34 million Harrier jet from Pepsi went down in flames yesterday when a federal judge ruled it was not reasonable for him to … Buy Pepsi products, collect Pepsi points and use them to claim prizes like t-shirts, or – for 7 million points – a Harrier jump jet.. The White House stated that the Harrier Jet would not be sold to civilians without "demilitarization," which, in the case of the Harrier, would have included stripping it of its ability to land and take off vertically. The Pepsi/Harrier Jet Case The Pepsi Harrier Jet commercial was obviously a humorous jest on behal of Pepsi. Buy Pepsi products, collect points from Pepsi labels and claim prizes like t-shirts, sunglasses, or – for 7 million points – a Harrier Jet. John Leonard realized that if he obtained 15 points, and paid for the rest of the points with a cheque, the jet … But a protest is not the right feeling. He then consistently collected 7 million points and sent Pepsi a plea to send him the Harrier jet. The fine print on the contest said that you could buy Pepsi Points for just $0.10 a piece without any purchase required of Pepsi products. B (second).) (Wynn Aff. 2d 116, (S.D.N.Y. The Harrier jet in the Pepsi commercial is fanciful and is simply included to create a humorous and entertaining ad. Get stuff.” And according to the commercial, among the stuff you could get was a Harrier Jet. Coca Cola recently made a commercial as well that addressed social issues, and it was deemed a success. Pepsi initially refused his claim: “The Harrier jet in the Pepsi commercial is fanciful and is simply included to create a humorous and entertaining ad.” But Leonard … 1999), aff'd 210 F.3d 88 (2d Cir. In a TV commercial that aired in 1995, Pepsi jokingly included the Harrier as one of the prizes that could be received with a "mere" 7 million Pepsi points. The commercial advertises the Jet for 7 million Pepsi Points, which roughly converts to $7 million. The court held that the commercial could not be taken seriously as it showed a teenager flying a fighter aircraft worth 23 million dollars to school, which clearly is unrealistic. A piece of evidence proving that Pepsi did not enter into an agreement with Leonard is the catalog itself since it did not include the Harrier jet. PepsiCo advertised Pepsi Stuff in a Super Bowl ad in 1996. (Wynn Aff. Pepsi continued to air the commercial, but updated the cost of the Harrier Jet to 700 million Pepsi points. Pepsi laughed off the claim, pointing out the Harrier had never been offered in the Pepsi Points catalogue and was just in the commercial to provide a humorous completion to the piece. The amount of Pepsi Points necessary to get the listed merchandise ranged from 15 for a “jacket tattoo” to 3,300 for a mountain bike. Pepsi's response was a bizarre one, where it said that the ad was a joke. In 1999, a Seattle man took a popular soft-drink company seriously when one of its commercials made an offer of a Harrier jet, the famous high-tech jump jet used by the U.S. Marines. The jet is shown with the subtitle seven million Pepsi points. Synopsis of Rule of Law. Image Credit: CBS. The controversy began when Pepsi Cola ran a television ad that seemed to offer a military Harrier vertical take-off jet to any customer that accumulated seven million points in a company contest. The court described the relevant portion of the televised commercial as follows: In the end, Leonard’s lawsuit fizzled out. Related: That time someone sued Pepsi because they didn't give him a Harrier jet. And then, he rolls up to school in a Harrier Jet…7,000,000 Pepsi Points. We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that you may have experienced and are enclosing some free product coupons for your use. Exh. John Leonard thought that sounded like a great deal. B (second).) Pepsi Stuff Harrier Jet lawsuit story involves John Leonard suing Pepsi Co because he accumulated the Pepsi Points necessary to purchase the Harrier Jet from a commercial. Mr. Leonard responded via his lawyer: Your letter of May 7, 1996 is totally unacceptable. Behold this amazing description of the commercial: The commercial opens upon an idyllic, suburban morning, where the chirping of birds in sun-dappled trees welcomes a paperboy on his morning route. We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that you may have experienced and are enclosing some free product coupons for your use. This caught the eye of 21-year-old John Leonard. No, Mr. Leonard will not get the Harriet jet from Pepsi. We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that you may have experienced and are enclosing some free product coupons for your use. The TV commercial where they advertised the points for stuff featured someone doing exactly that. “Sure beats the bus,” says the actor in the commercial, while landing on a campus in a computer animated jet. The campaign was simple, reported CBS News correspondent John Blackstone. It seemed like a simple, tongue-in-cheek concept to the marketing wizards at Pepsi in 1995; entice the ‘Pepsi Generation’ into earning points to subsequently redeem them for rewards as part of their Pepsi Stuff campaign. Connecting a product to a bigger concept isn’t bad. Additionally, how much is a Harrier jet worth? Our client followed your rules explicitly….This is a formal demand that you honor your commitment and make immediate arrangements to transfer the new Harrier jet … References The commercial for the campaign also stated that a Harrier Jet would be given for 7 million points. As a business they did make an offer, but they didn’t give any specifics or regulations on the offer so they could have also given a model of the Harrier Jet. While that sounds like a lot of points to get from drinking Pepsi products (roughly 190 Pepsis a day for 100 years), the company also allowed customers to purchase points for 10 cents a piece. A t-shirt at 75 points, sunglasses at 175 points, a leather jacket at 14,50 points. The court described the relevant portion of the televised commercial as follows: The scene then shifts to three young boys sitting in front of a high school building. That’s quite alot of soda to consume. Our client followed your rules explicitly… This is a formal demand that you honor your commitment and make immediate arrangements to transfer the new Harrier jet to our client. The young business student accused Pepsi of fraud and breach of contract, while Pepsi argued the commercial’s use of … The Harrier jet in the Pepsi commercial is fanciful and is simply included to create a humorous and entertaining ad. The TV commercial where the company advertised the points for stuff featured someone doing exactly that. It was shown that one could acquire the aircraft for 7 million points. Defendant refused to deliver the harrier jet. The commercial for the campaign also stated that a Harrier Jet would be given for 7 million points. The slogan was simple: “Drink Pepsi. Exh. John Leonard Bought 7 million Pepsi Points Pepsi Refuses “no objective person could reasonably have concluded that the commercial actually offered consumers a Harrier Jet”. by John McMahon Buy Pepsi products, collect Pepsi points and use them to claim prizes like t-shirts, or – for 7 million points – a Harrier jump jet. Though Pepsi did end up changing the commercial to 700,000,000 points for the jet. Inspired by the commercial, Leonard set out to get a Harrier jet. Pepsi can’t just market that it tastes good. Without a … The last element required in making a contract varied is that parties are of sound mind and at the same time legally able to sign a contract (Slorach & Ellis, 2015). But, for comic effect, Pepsi “offered” a slightly bigger prize in a TV ad--the jet, initially available at the bargain price of 7 million points. Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F. Supp. The PepsiCo order catalog did not include the Harrier jet. The commercial featured a youth arriving at school in a Harrier Jet and said the Harrier Jet was 7,000,000 Pepsi points. Spoiler alert: he lost. We have reviewed the video tape of the Pepsi Stuff commercial … and it clearly offers the new Harrier jet for 7,000,000 Pepsi Points. In that ad, Pepsi advertised a Harrier Jump Jet as a prize that can be redeemed for 7,000,000 points. This one is best remembered because a business student found a loophole and ended up suing Pepsi for his Harrier Jet. But the people making the commercial wanted to end it on some zany bit of “classic Pepsi” craziness. Leonard vs. PepsiCo, Inc. was the case of 1996. Additionally, will Mr Leonard get his Harrier jet Why or why not? The Harrier jet in the Pepsi commercial is fanciful and is simply included to create a humorous and entertaining ad. It needs to be connected to a feeling. We have reviewed the video tape of the Pepsi Stuff commercial… and it clearly offers the new Harrier jet for 7,000,000 Pepsi points. He consulted the Pepsi Stuff catalog, but it did not contain any entry or description of the Harrier jet. As he pulls a lever back, a chilled drink pops up out of a customized metal container. In a TV commercial that aired in 1995, the company jokingly included the Harrier as one of the prizes that could be received with a mere 7 million company points. 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