Seven million points is a significant amount of Pepsi to drink. That never bothered John Leonard. He became determined to receive a free Harrier fighter jet.
The Harrier Jump Jet initially flew in the 1960s as a British project. McDonnell Douglas later redesigned and built the Harrier. It had flaws, but it ushered in a new era of aviation by allowing for vertical takeoff and landing jump jets. With a Rolls-Royce engine, the ability to take off vertically, the capacity to carry several thousand pounds, and advanced technology, the jet filled a niche function in each country’s defense. However, the jet is not cheap to manufacture. Harriers are national assets worth $30 million each, not just a prize for a drink manufacturer.
Back in the late 1990s, Pepsi marketed itself as the stylish, hip beverage brand, with Coca-Cola as its ‘lame’, stodgy, old-people competitor. Pepsi advertised a Harrier Jet in a commercial for their “Pepsi Points” program. It showed that the airplane could be acquired for 7 million points. That’s quite a lot of Pepsi to drink. Here is the commercial:
Here comes John Leonard and your daily dose of aviation humor. Leonard had decided to acquire a real Harrier airplane after some quick thinking and math. Unfortunately, things didn’t go quite as anticipated. Pepsi refused to settle with him even after he had received the points. Leonard even brought Pepsico to court. He lost his case. At least it makes for a good story. Take a peek at the video to discover how John Leonard attempted to get the airplane. If only it was that simple.
