The latest case study in really bad marketing ideas comes from PepsiCo brand SoBe Lifewater.
The company has a history of putting cute jokes underneath its bottle caps:
But its latest attempt at humor—in an age when factories are still scarily unsafe—is falling as flat as the non-carbonated beverage it’s selling.
As you’d expect, some consumers took to Facebook to voice their concerns.
The company realized the error of its ways and posted a mea culpa on Facebook, saying: “Hi there, we’re sorry that our cap slogan caused you concern, that was certainly not our intention. These sayings are intended to give our consumers a little smile or pause for thought, not offense, while they enjoy their favorite SoBe beverage. We are planning on removing this cap slogan from our current rotation, however, it will take a while for existing stock to run through the market.”
PepsiCo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The featured image was shared under a Creative Commons license on Flickr by Lindsey Turner. It has been cropped.