5 Publicity Stunts That Went Horribly Wrong

3. Dr Pepper Snapple’s Disastrous Giveaway  

In 2008, beverage company Dr Pepper Snapple Group Inc. (NYSE:DPS) announced that it would give a free soft drink to every American if music band Guns N’ Roses released its album Chinese Democracy by the end of that year. The inclusion of the music band in the publicity campaign was unauthorized, and invited the fury of the band, as Guns N’ Roses lawyer Alan Gutman wrote a letter to the company, calling the publicity stunt an “unmitigated disaster”. Gutman also demanded that the company give a public apology and extend the time of the giveaway offer. Much to the dismay of Dr Pepper Snapple, the music band released its album before the expiration of the giveaway offer, resulting in a massive influx of people on Dr Pepper’s website trying to claim their free beverage, though the company had no real system set up to allow anyone to claim it. Dr Pepper’s website servers also crashed. The website promised to send a 20-ounce soda in 4-6 weeks to users who were able to grab the offer, but it’s believed that very few every received their promised can of soda.

What do you think is this one of the top 5 publicity stunts that went horribly wrong or what?

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