We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that you may have experienced and are enclosing some free product coupons for your use. Spoiler alert: he lost. Pepsi initially refused his claim: âThe Harrier jet in the Pepsi commercial is fanciful and is simply included to create a humorous and entertaining ad.â But Leonard ⦠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. It was shown that one could acquire the aircraft for 7 million points. As a business they did make an offer, but they didnât give any specifics or regulations on the offer so they could have also given a model of the Harrier Jet. This caught the eye of 21-year-old John Leonard. 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. We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that you may have experienced and are enclosing some free product coupons for your use. We apologize for any misunderstanding or confusion that you may have experienced and are enclosing some free product coupons for your use. It seemed like a simple, tongue-in-cheek concept to the marketing wizards at Pepsi in 1995; entice the âPepsi Generationâ into earning points to subsequently redeem them for rewards as part of their Pepsi Stuff campaign. Without a ⦠He then consistently collected 7 million points and sent Pepsi a plea to send him the Harrier jet. 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 TV commercial where the company advertised the points for stuff featured someone doing exactly that. The Pepsi/Harrier Jet Case The Pepsi Harrier Jet commercial was obviously a humorous jest on behal of Pepsi. Though Pepsi did end up changing the commercial to 700,000,000 points for the jet. The court described the relevant portion of the televised commercial as follows: In the end, Leonardâs lawsuit fizzled out. 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. Buy Pepsi products, collect Pepsi points and use them to claim prizes like t-shirts, or â for 7 million points â a Harrier jump jet.. John Leonard realized that if he obtained 15 points, and paid for the rest of the points with a cheque, the jet ⦠In that ad, Pepsi advertised a Harrier Jump Jet as a prize that can be redeemed for 7,000,000 points. The commercial advertises the Jet for 7 million Pepsi Points, which roughly converts to $7 million. Pepsi's response was a bizarre one, where it said that the ad was a joke. 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. Leonard vs. PepsiCo, Inc. was the case of 1996. B (second).) 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. Additionally, how much is a Harrier jet worth? Our client followed your rules explicitlyâ¦.This is a formal demand that you honor your commitment and make immediate arrangements to transfer the new Harrier jet ⦠Shades were 175 points. The court ruled in favor of Pepsi but I think this guy should have got his jet. Thatâs quite alot of soda to consume. âSure beats the bus,â says the actor in the commercial, while landing on a campus in a computer animated jet. 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. 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). Pepsi continued to air the commercial, but updated the cost of the Harrier Jet to 700 million Pepsi points. 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. So, wearing the Tâshirt, shades, and leather jacket, the ad protagonist flies his Harrier Jet to school. Connecting a product to a bigger concept isnât bad. No, Mr. Leonard will not get the Harriet jet from Pepsi. The commercial starts out with two American jets entering the frame, then after buzzing past the camera a few times â one of the pilots decides he needs a diet Pepsi. 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 young business student accused Pepsi of fraud and breach of contract, while Pepsi argued the commercialâs use of ⦠(Wynn Aff. The jet is shown with the subtitle seven million Pepsi points. 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. Exh. Inspired by the commercial, Leonard set out to get a Harrier jet. The amount of Pepsi Points necessary to get the listed merchandise ranged from 15 for a âjacket tattooâ to 3,300 for a mountain bike. Related: That time someone sued Pepsi because they didn't give him a Harrier jet. 1999), aff'd 210 F.3d 88 (2d Cir. Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F. Supp. Exh. 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. B (second).) The commercial for the campaign also stated that a Harrier Jet would be given for 7 million points. The commercial for the campaign also stated that a Harrier Jet would be given for 7 million points. This one is best remembered because a business student found a loophole and ended up suing Pepsi for his Harrier Jet. 2d 116, (S.D.N.Y. Image Credit: CBS. References Mr. Leonard responded via his lawyer: Your letter of May 7, 1996 is totally unacceptable. Additionally, will Mr Leonard get his Harrier jet Why or why not? But, for comic effect, Pepsi âofferedâ a slightly bigger prize in a TV ad--the jet, initially available at the bargain price of 7 million points. But the people making the commercial wanted to end it on some zany bit of âclassic Pepsiâ craziness. It needs to be connected to a feeling. As he pulls a lever back, a chilled drink pops up out of a customized metal container. The Harrier jet in the Pepsi commercial is fanciful and is simply included to create a humorous and entertaining ad. Pepsi canât just market that it tastes good. 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. As part of their advertising campaign, Pepsi was touting a Harrier Jet in a commercial advertisement for their âPepsi Pointsâ program. John Leonard thought that sounded like a great deal. 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. Synopsis of Rule of Law. A t-shirt at 75 points, sunglasses at 175 points, a leather jacket at 14,50 points. 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