Common Sense Media Review
By Melissa Camacho
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Nostalgia-filled marketing tale has cursing.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Pepsi, Where's My Jet?
What's the Story?
PEPSI, WHERE'S MY JET? is a docuseries about a 1990s college student vying for a military jet using Pepsi-Cola game points. In 1996 PepsiCo launched the "Drink Pepsi Get Stuff" campaign, which promised customers the chance to win prizes for a combination of cash and points collected from PepsiCo beverage containers. As part of the TV campaign, a Harrier Jet was showcased for 7 million points without a disclaimer stating that it was not a real prize. Once he saw it, 20-year-old college student John Leonard devised a plan with the help of wealthy mountaineering buddy Todd Hoffman to win it. Using actor reenactments, archive footage, and interviews with Leonard, Hoffman, and others involved, it reveals the lawsuits that ensued after Pepsi refused to honor the prize, and why the case is studied in law schools today.
Is It Any Good?
The nostalgic, upbeat docuseries engagingly tells what happened when a college student tried to call to task a major corporation, and how it led to conversations about the boundaries of U.S. contract law. John Leonard's story, which at the time received public support thanks to the efforts of a young (and now infamous) lawyer named Michael Avenatti to spin it as a modern-day "David and Goliath" tale, highlights the impact of false advertising on both sellers and consumers. But much of what is offered here is about the long-lasting friendship between Leonard and Todd Hoffman, who parallel a present-day trek across Antarctica with the trials and tribulations of the experience. Meanwhile, former Pepsi execs, including former creative director Michael Patti and Jeff Mordos aka "The Wolf," who was the chief operating officer at the time, weigh in on the experience. But the larger (and more entertaining) part of Pepsi, Where's My Jet? is the presentation of 1990s pop culture, ranging from advertisements, music, and conversations with icon Cindy Crawford, to the Coca-Cola vs. Pepsi blind taste tests each interviewee takes on camera. Overall, it's both informative and engaging, and definitely worth the watch.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the efforts John Leonard and Todd Hoffman made to challenge Pepsi Co. Was it simply the chance to win a jet that drove each of them? Or were there other factors? Were their efforts worth it in the end?
What does Pepsi, Where's My Jet? illustrate about the importance of accurate and clear advertising? How does this apply to the way sellers market to kids?
TV Details
- Premiere date : November 17, 2022
- Cast : John Leonard , Todd Hoffman
- Network : Netflix
- Genre : Reality TV
- Character Strengths : Perseverance , Teamwork
- TV rating :
- Last updated : April 25, 2025
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