Pepsi’s promotion was simple: Collect Pepsi Points printed on soda packaging. Redeem them for prizes like T-shirts, hats, and jackets. But the campaign’s TV commercial featured one prize that was... different. A Harrier Jet. Price: 7,000,000 Pepsi Points. https://t.co/L54ZndMd7q

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The ad was meant to be a joke. The Harrier Jet—a military-grade aircraft—was shown landing at a school, with the tagline: | “Sure beats the bus.” But not everyone thought it was funny. Because the ad included no disclaimer. No “just kidding.” https://t.co/KztV2KItzj

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Enter John Leonard, a 21-year-old business student. While others laughed, Leonard saw an opportunity. He crunched the numbers. Buying enough Pepsi to earn 7,000,000 points would cost millions. But the fine print offered a loophole. https://t.co/bdKRqkRRr5

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Customers could purchase extra Pepsi Points for 10 cents each. Leonard quickly did the math: $700,000 would be enough to “buy” the Harrier Jet. So he got a group of investors, wrote a check to Pepsi, and demanded his jet. https://t.co/A5gWhVWxsb

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Pepsi didn’t laugh. They rejected Leonard’s claim outright, calling the Harrier Jet a “fanciful addition” to their campaign. But Leonard wasn’t backing down. He sued Pepsi for $23 million—the jet’s estimated value. https://t.co/LiJMfsaMmD

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The case, Leonard v. PepsiCo, exploded into a media frenzy. Leonard argued that the ad was a binding contract: Pepsi made an offer, and he had fulfilled the terms. Pepsi’s defense: The ad was clearly a joke. No reasonable person would believe they’d give away a military jet. https://t.co/fwzlxDJtzN

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The court agreed with Pepsi. The judge ruled that the ad was an example of “puffery”—an exaggerated, humorous claim not meant to be taken literally. In other words: No, you can’t buy a fighter jet with soda. https://t.co/XSjX4dAhhH

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