The legal battle of (1999) remains one of the most famous case studies in contract law, centered on a 20-year-old student窶冱 attempt to redeem a military fighter jet from a soft drink company. The saga, recently chronicled in the Netflix docuseries Pepsi, Where's My Jet? , explores the intersection of corporate irreverence, consumer ambition, and the "Reasonable Person" legal standard. The Ad That Launched a Lawsuit
In 1996, during the height of the "Cola Wars," Pepsi launched its "Pepsi Stuff" campaign. A television commercial featured various prizes窶蚤 T-shirt for 75 points, a leather jacket for 1,450 points窶蚤nd concluded with a teenager landing a at his high school. The tagline read: "HARRIER FIGHTER 7,000,000 PEPSI POINTS". Crucially, the ad lacked any fine print or disclaimers stating the jet was not a real prize. The Strategy: John Leonard窶冱 $700,000 Bet
Leonard v. Pepsico, Inc., 88 F. Supp. 2d 116 (S.D.N.Y. 1999)
