#PepsiFail

PepsiCo's apology for an iPhone App displaying sexist views towards women may have caused more trouble than the company bargained for. Amp Energy, a brand of PepsiCo, recently launched an iPhone application that gives enterprising men the ability to search through a list of 24 "types" of women. Each type offers a different pick-up line as well as a synopsis of the personality of each and tips for picking up the different women. The app also encourages men to brag about their conquests.

When those outside of the Amp target audience caught wind of the app, protests against the sexist nature of the app began to arise. This prompted the apology issued by Amp. However, instead of keeping the apology within the Amp brand, Amp issued the apology with #pepsifail attached to their name from the brand's Twitter page. This led to re-tweeting through many of the other PepsiCo brands, including Pepsi and Mountain Dew, attaching them all to the sexist application. The strategic move to include the entire company instead of just the Amp brand in the hot debate over the app may have caused more problems than it helped.

More information can be found here.

I have to give it to Amp for choosing to apologize in the Twittersphere and make the debate public knowledge, allowing for real feedback on the issue. At the same time, attaching the sexist views and bad taste (literally and figuratively) of one brand to the rest of the company has far-reaching and damaging implications. I'm not sure if I will be able to look at Pepsi quite the same way.

Way to go #PepsiFail.