Around the Net

Pepsi's Apology For Amp App May Have Ramped Up Criticism

  • Ad Age, Wednesday, October 14, 2009 10:43 AM
PepsiCo's Amp Energy brand launched an iPhone app last Friday that provides guys pickup lines and background info for 24 different types of women, ranging from "military chick" to "married." "Amp Up Before You Score" also invites users to brag about their conquests on Facebook and Twitter accounts.

Eyebrows, and ire, have been raised, as might be expected. Mashable posted a piece with the headline "Alienate your female customers? Pepsi has an app for that," Natalie Zmuda reports. But she makes the point that the controversy didn't really get going until Amp apologized at @Ampwhatsnext: "Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women," it tweeted. "We apologize if it's in bad taste & appreciate your feedback." That feedback is on Twitter at #pepsifail.

To be sure, the Amp app has it supporters. But Zmuda reports that many of the tweets "have bypassed the Amp brand entirely and are instead assigning the apology, the app and their distaste to Pepsi." Besides, despite the apology, the app is still available, "making the mea culpa look a bit hollow," she writes.

advertisement

advertisement

Read the whole story at Ad Age »

Next story loading loading..