What do you think this picture is? Sorta shocking if true.
Replies
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It's an actual person on facebook that had a friend come accross the can.
So a friend of a friend?
What appears to be the original post on facebook as an fyi:
Thanks.
I am prett skeptical with these things. I have seen too many "Amber alert" and other type phoney FB messages. Not too often you actually see the source, which is legit in this case.
Edited to remove the FB page0 -
It's an actual person on facebook that had a friend come accross the can.
So a friend of a friend?
What appears to be the original post on facebook as an fyi: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=2829326772327&set=p.2829326772327&type=1&ref=nf
Thanks.
I am prett skeptical with these things. I have seen too many "Amber alert" and other type phoney FB messages. Not too often you actually see the source, which is legit in this case.
I agree! It's like the old game of telephone. The message just gets messed up with each passing. In this case, whatever the meaning of the can is, the original source seems legit.0 -
I don't think it looks like NYC (pre-9/11), but I am shocked that no Pepsi bigwig figured out that many Americans would see that beloved skyline when looking at those buildings imaged that way.
I don't see this offensively, but I look at it and IMMEDIATELY can see that, duh, many people will see it. So while I don't think Pepsi was intentionally depicting anything, I do think they were short-sighted.
For real? The airplane is flying away from the city!!...You were in NY when that happened? I lived in NY and I witnessed the attack...I was 10 years old...Attended a funeral because someone from my family died in that crash...She left a little girl behind. I really hate reading the comments saying to stop being so sensitive about it. We are not the same people. We handle things differently. Some people are more emotional than others. We are all different...we weren't raised the same way. It's being ignorant saying to people to stop being sensitive just because you feel that way. That's just MY opinion about this.
While I am truly sorry for your loss, it is stuff like this that keeps international relations with other countries so stressed and strained. It is not our place to tell countries how they can market to their customers. While the number of soldiers in Iraq are far more than any of us prefer, the marketers for Pepsi Arabia (a subsidiary of Pepsi, meaning that they pretty much run themselves) are not marketing to the handful of Americans that MIGHT buy their product. We can't dictate to them how they can market to their customers on the off chance that an American MIGHT be offended. This is just business. The similarities are obviously not intentional since the plane is flying away from the city, and the buildings only resemble WTC because they are buildings. The cityscape is Dubai and not New York, and any effort to ban this can will just come off as Americans bullying Arabic nations, and being hypocritical about personal freedoms in democracy.0 -
One thing I can say is that it's interesting that it was a base in Iraq and that we've not seen the cans here in the US or at least I've not. If it's no big deal why didn't they put the design out here in America?
Because Pepsi is currently running an X-Factor promotion on their US cans. :laugh: Mountain Dew has Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
I have a special edition Mountain Dew bottle with an octopus on it. I'm sure the use of tentacles means that Pepsico supports Cthulhu.0 -
I don't think it looks like NYC (pre-9/11), but I am shocked that no Pepsi bigwig figured out that many Americans would see that beloved skyline when looking at those buildings imaged that way.
I don't see this offensively, but I look at it and IMMEDIATELY can see that, duh, many people will see it. So while I don't think Pepsi was intentionally depicting anything, I do think they were short-sighted.
For real? The airplane is flying away from the city!!
I agree!! I can see where people can interpret it this way. The two tall buildings are faarrrr apart from each other and you can clearly see that that the airplane is flying upward and away from the buildings.
It's understandable how people can look at it as 9/11 though. Some people feel more effected than others and that's understandable too. 0 -
You ARE shocked that this bothers a number of people?I don't think it looks like NYC (pre-9/11), but I am shocked that no Pepsi bigwig figured out that many Americans would see that beloved skyline when looking at those buildings imaged that way.
I don't see this offensively, but I look at it and IMMEDIATELY can see that, duh, many people will see it. So while I don't think Pepsi was intentionally depicting anything, I do think they were short-sighted.
For real? The airplane is flying away from the city!!
Well, I'm not. So yes, of course "for real."0 -
You know, more than one person has posted a link to the Snopes site's coverage of this image ... everyone might want to check out that link and read what's posted there before posting an opinion. You'll find a lot of interesting things on Snopes, like the accusation raised against Procter and Gamble that it was run by satanists. Human beings are programmed to look for patterns, especially when there are issues of threat or survival involved (pareidolia). Here's another 9/11 rumor covered on Snopes that touches on the pareidolia issue:
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/coincidence.asp0 -
I think when it comes down to it he's upset because it was found on a base in Iraq which is where the attack stemmed from.
No, it didn't.0 -
I am from NYC.
I don't find this offensive.... However:
Why put a city on a can of soda?
Why tall buildings and a plane?
Someone made a pretty serious mistake in letting something that controversial go to publication.0 -
Maybe that's why this design wasn't released in the US. It isn't controversial all over the world.I am from NYC.
I don't find this offensive.... However:
Why put a city on a can of soda?
Why tall buildings and a plane?
Someone made a pretty serious mistake in letting something that controversial go to publication.0 -
I am from NYC.
I don't find this offensive.... However:
Why put a city on a can of soda?
Why tall buildings and a plane?
Someone made a pretty serious mistake in letting something that controversial go to publication.
It wasn't sold in the US....It was manufactured in Dubai where's the inspiration for the cityscape came from...Can you imagine if a company had to analyse every single country in the world to determine what offends each of them and then design images to avoid each countries sensitivities?0 -
You ARE shocked that this bothers a number of people?I don't think it looks like NYC (pre-9/11), but I am shocked that no Pepsi bigwig figured out that many Americans would see that beloved skyline when looking at those buildings imaged that way.
I don't see this offensively, but I look at it and IMMEDIATELY can see that, duh, many people will see it. So while I don't think Pepsi was intentionally depicting anything, I do think they were short-sighted.
For real? The airplane is flying away from the city!!
Well, I'm not. So yes, of course "for real."
If you read where I edited the post, Pepsi "bigwigs" in Dubai weren't thinking of American customers. Pepsi Arabia is a subsidiary of Pepsi, and subsidiaries generally operate under their own supervision.0 -
It wasn't sold in the US....It was manufactured in Dubai where's the inspiration for the cityscape came from...Can you imagine if a company had to analyse every single country in the world to determine what offends each of them and then design images to avoid each countries sensitivities?
We would have to sell everything in plain white packaging with black lettering. Oh wait, that might offend someone too.
It's all relative. To the soldiers who found the can it was offensive. But to others it's just a nice cityscape. It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.0 -
maybe the marketing behind it was to make people talk?
them= 10 -
I went straight to the picture before I read the post. I saw a city on can. Then I read the post and knew exactly what the problem was. It could be any city anywhere.. we are not the only country with skyscrapers.0
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Okay, people, if you don't already drink Coca Cola, now is the time to switch. LOL
No not saying it because of this Pepsi can... I just think Coka Cola is better PERIOD. Plus if this scene is offensive, why not buy a can with a polar bear on it and see how you can save them from extinction... awww, poor polar bears.
It is a friggin' coincidence that Dubai/Arabia chose this graphic. I am into conspiracy theories and this is a subliminal insult in my opinion.0 -
The first thing I thought when I saw that can was, "yuck who in the hell drinks pepsi?"
My second thought was, "1 calorie?" this can of poison must have something that will eventually kill you.
My third thought was, "they need to fire their graphic designer, that design sucks monkey balls".0 -
One thing I can say is that it's interesting that it was a base in Iraq and that we've not seen the cans here in the US or at least I've not. If it's no big deal why didn't they put the design out here in America?
Ah, but according to the snopes page quoted a few times already, it WAS available to the US soldiers. That would be really stupid if they weren't selling it in the US but were selling to our soldiers in their own back yard, if that was the intention.
Also, it's design is marketed toward middle east (note the Arabic - I think - script on the can. Many many international companies have different packaging for different global regions.0 -
I have a special edition Mountain Dew bottle with an octopus on it. I'm sure the use of tentacles means that Pepsico supports Cthulhu.
Ok, I wasn't going to respond to this thread because I didn't want it to forever appear in "My Topics," but...
:laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh::laugh:0 -
I guess that's what it comes down to, I guess I don't think that's true. There are how many millions of products offered and marketed every single day, all over the world? A scant few get serious press time for controversy. Most don't. Coke's biggest issue this year seems to have been that the Classic Coke cans looked too much like the Diet Coke cans and bothered people. LOL They manage to have out roughly as many products as Pepsi, none of them are "plain white with simple black lettering", so I guess I don't buy another poster's suggestion that the ONLY options for marketers is that, or this Pepsi can. Millions of products manage to not offend anyone, actually.It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.
Granted, I'm not offended by this, I just think it was short-sighted of Pepsi to not realize that a number of their fan-base would be, AND, as much as we might say that Pepsi can't worry how every country on Earth is going to respond to any given marketing scheme, let's be serious here, I'm betting the US makes up a large, large portion of their customers, and that in this so interconnected world, it'd end up on a viral internet thing.
That's all.
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I see a plane flying OVER a generic city. Such scenes happen every day all around the world.0
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I guess that's what it comes down to, I guess I don't think that's true. There are how many millions of products offered and marketed every single day, all over the world? A scant few get serious press time for controversy. Most don't. Coke's biggest issue this year seems to have been that the Classic Coke cans looked too much like the Diet Coke cans and bothered people. LOL They manage to have out roughly as many products as Pepsi, none of them are "plain white with simple black lettering", so I guess I don't buy another poster's suggestion that the ONLY options for marketers is that, or this Pepsi can. Millions of products manage to not offend anyone, actually.It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.
Granted, I'm not offended by this, I just think it was short-sighted of Pepsi to not realize that a number of their fan-base would be, AND, as much as we might say that Pepsi can't worry how every country on Earth is going to respond to any given marketing scheme, let's be serious here, I'm betting the US makes up a large, large portion of their customers, and that in this so interconnected world, it'd end up on a viral internet thing.
That's all.
Trust me outside the US there is a massive market in Asia, Europe and other areas that pepsi sells to. Yes the US is a large consumer of products but it's only one country0 -
Right, I didn't say the US was the only place it was sold. As you agree, the US is a large portion of it's customer base. "Only one country," but it's generally pretty accepted that it's in a company's best interest to think about those kinds of things regarding "large portions" of their customer base, no? I guess I just don't see what's so shocking here.
I guess that's what it comes down to, I guess I don't think that's true. There are how many millions of products offered and marketed every single day, all over the world? A scant few get serious press time for controversy. Most don't. Coke's biggest issue this year seems to have been that the Classic Coke cans looked too much like the Diet Coke cans and bothered people. LOL They manage to have out roughly as many products as Pepsi, none of them are "plain white with simple black lettering", so I guess I don't buy another poster's suggestion that the ONLY options for marketers is that, or this Pepsi can. Millions of products manage to not offend anyone, actually.It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.
Granted, I'm not offended by this, I just think it was short-sighted of Pepsi to not realize that a number of their fan-base would be, AND, as much as we might say that Pepsi can't worry how every country on Earth is going to respond to any given marketing scheme, let's be serious here, I'm betting the US makes up a large, large portion of their customers, and that in this so interconnected world, it'd end up on a viral internet thing.
That's all.
Trust me outside the US there is a massive market in Asia, Europe and other areas that pepsi sells to. Yes the US is a large consumer of products but it's only one country0 -
Right, I didn't say the US was the only place it was sold. As you agree, the US is a large portion of it's customer base. "Only one country," but it's generally pretty accepted that it's in a company's best interest to think about those kinds of things regarding "large portions" of their customer base, no? I guess I just don't see what's so shocking here.
I guess that's what it comes down to, I guess I don't think that's true. There are how many millions of products offered and marketed every single day, all over the world? A scant few get serious press time for controversy. Most don't. Coke's biggest issue this year seems to have been that the Classic Coke cans looked too much like the Diet Coke cans and bothered people. LOL They manage to have out roughly as many products as Pepsi, none of them are "plain white with simple black lettering", so I guess I don't buy another poster's suggestion that the ONLY options for marketers is that, or this Pepsi can. Millions of products manage to not offend anyone, actually.It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.
Granted, I'm not offended by this, I just think it was short-sighted of Pepsi to not realize that a number of their fan-base would be, AND, as much as we might say that Pepsi can't worry how every country on Earth is going to respond to any given marketing scheme, let's be serious here, I'm betting the US makes up a large, large portion of their customers, and that in this so interconnected world, it'd end up on a viral internet thing.
That's all.
Trust me outside the US there is a massive market in Asia, Europe and other areas that pepsi sells to. Yes the US is a large consumer of products but it's only one country
PepsiCo Americas Beverages
This division contributed 23 percent of PepsiCo’s net revenue as of 2009,[28] and involves the manufacture (and in some cases licensing), marketing and sales of both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages in North, Central and South America.[40] The main brands distributed under this division include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7 Up (outside the U.S.), Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, Sierra Mist, SoBe Lifewater, Tropicana juice drinks, AMP Energy, Naked Juice and Izze. Aquafina, the company’s bottled water brand, is also marketed and licensed through PepsiCo Americas Beverages.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PepsiCo#Areas_of_business
All things taken into consideration, the USA is really only a small portion of Pepsi's business.0 -
That's interesting! I admit that I would have guessed the US consumption higher-- to the degree of 45-55%, rather than 23%. After all, half the articles I read lately are about how all we Americans eat/drink is junk food, and the rest of the world is aghast at us... LOL Perhaps that is misrepresented to paint us in an uglier light sometimes, huh?
Right, I didn't say the US was the only place it was sold. As you agree, the US is a large portion of it's customer base. "Only one country," but it's generally pretty accepted that it's in a company's best interest to think about those kinds of things regarding "large portions" of their customer base, no? I guess I just don't see what's so shocking here.
I guess that's what it comes down to, I guess I don't think that's true. There are how many millions of products offered and marketed every single day, all over the world? A scant few get serious press time for controversy. Most don't. Coke's biggest issue this year seems to have been that the Classic Coke cans looked too much like the Diet Coke cans and bothered people. LOL They manage to have out roughly as many products as Pepsi, none of them are "plain white with simple black lettering", so I guess I don't buy another poster's suggestion that the ONLY options for marketers is that, or this Pepsi can. Millions of products manage to not offend anyone, actually.It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.
Granted, I'm not offended by this, I just think it was short-sighted of Pepsi to not realize that a number of their fan-base would be, AND, as much as we might say that Pepsi can't worry how every country on Earth is going to respond to any given marketing scheme, let's be serious here, I'm betting the US makes up a large, large portion of their customers, and that in this so interconnected world, it'd end up on a viral internet thing.
That's all.
Trust me outside the US there is a massive market in Asia, Europe and other areas that pepsi sells to. Yes the US is a large consumer of products but it's only one country
PepsiCo Americas Beverages
This division contributed 23 percent of PepsiCo’s net revenue as of 2009,[28] and involves the manufacture (and in some cases licensing), marketing and sales of both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages in North, Central and South America.[40] The main brands distributed under this division include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7 Up (outside the U.S.), Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, Sierra Mist, SoBe Lifewater, Tropicana juice drinks, AMP Energy, Naked Juice and Izze. Aquafina, the company’s bottled water brand, is also marketed and licensed through PepsiCo Americas Beverages.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PepsiCo#Areas_of_business
All things taken into consideration, the USA is really only a small portion of Pepsi's business.
Anyway, I guess as a business person, I would consider 23% of my consumers to be a pretty big portion of them, but I guess your milage may vary.0 -
I would say that Pepsi has very very educated people on what to put on theirs cans and what NOT to put them for each martketing region. Obviously this wouldn't be on a can for the USA for OBVIOUS reasons. Everyone knows in the entire world what happened here and to me, it seems pretty close resemblence to 911. When I see people saying doubt be so senstive, I can understand this to a point because their are some serious ridiculous things that people get offended about but everyone has sensitive areas in their lives because of personal experiences they've gone thru so THAT in itself is what this is all about. Pepsi is smart enough not to put it on cans' here in the USA OBVIOUSLY because of one of the greatest terrorist attacks against this country, so my question is WHY DO IT AT ALL?0
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That 23% is North, South and Central America. It takes in everywhere from Argentina to Alaska and Canada so the USA would only be a portion of that 23%.
That's interesting! I admit that I would have guessed the US consumption higher-- to the degree of 45-55%, rather than 23%. After all, half the articles I read lately are about how all we Americans eat/drink is junk food, and the rest of the world is aghast at us... LOL Perhaps that is misrepresented to paint us in an uglier light sometimes, huh?PepsiCo Americas Beverages
This division contributed 23 percent of PepsiCo’s net revenue as of 2009,[28] and involves the manufacture (and in some cases licensing), marketing and sales of both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages in North, Central and South America.[40] The main brands distributed under this division include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7 Up (outside the U.S.), Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, Sierra Mist, SoBe Lifewater, Tropicana juice drinks, AMP Energy, Naked Juice and Izze. Aquafina, the company’s bottled water brand, is also marketed and licensed through PepsiCo Americas Beverages.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PepsiCo#Areas_of_business
All things taken into consideration, the USA is really only a small portion of Pepsi's business.
Anyway, I guess as a business person, I would consider 23% of my consumers to be a pretty big portion of them, but I guess your milage may vary.0 -
I see no resemblance to 9/11. I just see some silly graphics. People will see anything they are pre-disposed to see. That doesn't seem offensive at all to me.0 -
That's interesting! I admit that I would have guessed the US consumption higher-- to the degree of 45-55%, rather than 23%. After all, half the articles I read lately are about how all we Americans eat/drink is junk food, and the rest of the world is aghast at us... LOL Perhaps that is misrepresented to paint us in an uglier light sometimes, huh?
Right, I didn't say the US was the only place it was sold. As you agree, the US is a large portion of it's customer base. "Only one country," but it's generally pretty accepted that it's in a company's best interest to think about those kinds of things regarding "large portions" of their customer base, no? I guess I just don't see what's so shocking here.
I guess that's what it comes down to, I guess I don't think that's true. There are how many millions of products offered and marketed every single day, all over the world? A scant few get serious press time for controversy. Most don't. Coke's biggest issue this year seems to have been that the Classic Coke cans looked too much like the Diet Coke cans and bothered people. LOL They manage to have out roughly as many products as Pepsi, none of them are "plain white with simple black lettering", so I guess I don't buy another poster's suggestion that the ONLY options for marketers is that, or this Pepsi can. Millions of products manage to not offend anyone, actually.It's going to be hard not to offend someone at some point with marketing.
Granted, I'm not offended by this, I just think it was short-sighted of Pepsi to not realize that a number of their fan-base would be, AND, as much as we might say that Pepsi can't worry how every country on Earth is going to respond to any given marketing scheme, let's be serious here, I'm betting the US makes up a large, large portion of their customers, and that in this so interconnected world, it'd end up on a viral internet thing.
That's all.
Trust me outside the US there is a massive market in Asia, Europe and other areas that pepsi sells to. Yes the US is a large consumer of products but it's only one country
PepsiCo Americas Beverages
This division contributed 23 percent of PepsiCo’s net revenue as of 2009,[28] and involves the manufacture (and in some cases licensing), marketing and sales of both carbonated and non-carbonated beverages in North, Central and South America.[40] The main brands distributed under this division include Pepsi, Mountain Dew, Gatorade, 7 Up (outside the U.S.), Tropicana Pure Premium orange juice, Sierra Mist, SoBe Lifewater, Tropicana juice drinks, AMP Energy, Naked Juice and Izze. Aquafina, the company’s bottled water brand, is also marketed and licensed through PepsiCo Americas Beverages.[1]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PepsiCo#Areas_of_business
All things taken into consideration, the USA is really only a small portion of Pepsi's business.
Anyway, I guess as a business person, I would consider 23% of my consumers to be a pretty big portion of them, but I guess your milage may vary.
Is this where as a business person I tease you that it's 23% of north, central and south america not just the US 0 -
I suppose. I'm not a business person these days, I'm "only" a mom. I bet that's clear from my posts sometimes. LOLIs this where as a business person I tease you that it's 23% of north, central and south america not just the US
Well, the question is, is that portion of customers enough to warrant any basic thought given to how that population will take the product (keeping in mind that it's a product marketed elsewhere BUT you can't deny the US presense in that portion of the world, nor how interrelated we all are, and the fact that everyone sees everything on FB eventually)?
Maybe it's not. Maybe Pepsi agrees that the US market is "ONLY" < 23% & as such isn't valuable enough to think of things from those consumers' POVs. An earlier poster said that Pepsi in Iraq had virtually nothing to do with Pepsi somewhere else, so how they market wouldn't even be seen by the same Pepsi personel... Personally, I'm pretty shocked at the idea that a corporation of that size wouldn't have ANY sort of oversight to speak of, but maybe I'm wrong. I would think they'd have higher-ups who would look over things of that nature, and they'd be well-versed in the different cultures their product is sold in. But what do I know!
(eta: And again, I don't think the image is at all intentionally offensive.)0
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