Apple TV+ has ordered a new documentary series that chronicles the infamous Pepsi campaign from the 1990s. Emmy-nominated filmmakers James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte, who are best known for their “McMillions” HBO docuseries, are behind this new series.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS:
- Pepsi’s ad promised a Harriet jet as a prize.
- The ad campaign became the subject of a lawsuit.
- The series will offer a deep dive into ’90s pop culture.
- Thankfully, you won’t need any Pepsi Points to watch it.
The infamous Pepsi campaign from the ’90s
Titled “The Jet,” it revolves around the infamous “Drink Pepsi, Get Stuff” promotional campaign which Pepsi launched during the 1996 Super Bowl. It promised that viewers could redeem seven million Pepsi Points for an AV-8 Harrier II military jet, valued at the time at $33.8 million.
Deadline carries the report:
The Jet is coming in for a landing at Apple TV+. The streaming service has ordered The Jet, a docuseries that chronicles the true story behind the ’90s promotional campaign that advertised a Harrier jet in exchange for Pepsi points.
Of course, someone did attempt to cash in their points for a Harrier fighter jet and ended up suing PepsiCo, Inc. because the company didn’t give them anything. And to further discourage people from trying to redeem the prize it itself had been advertising, Pepsi simply updated the ad to increase the requirement from seven million to sever-hundred million points.
Here’s that original Pepsi commercial from the ’90s.
The events that transpired after the person had tried to redeem their prize, including their lawsuit against PepsiCo., will be covered by the upcoming Apple TV+ series.
Apple TV+ has been working to bolster its offering of documentaries on the Apple TV+ streaming service. One of the upcoming projects includes “WeWork,” a series that documents the rise and spectacular crash of WeWork (a startup that offers flexible shared workspaces).
“WeWork” will star actress Anne Hathaway alongside ’90s heartthrob Jared Leto.