CYBERSPACE – Pepsi found out the hard way recently that the same rules that allow beer companies to exploit sexually suggestive marketing campaigns don’t necessarily apply to soda companies. The company fell under heavy online criticism recently after it released a free app for the iPhone that was titled “Amp Up Before You Score,” a promotional app for the company’s Amp energy drink.Claiming to be a tool designed to help men pick up women, the “Amp Up” app lets users select different “types” of women that include categories like “Treehugger,” “Nerd,” “Married” or “Sorority Girl.”
Clicking on “Nerd,” for example, reveals links to the locations of nearby comic book stores, as well as suggested pickup lines like “You are the most beautiful girl, ever seen, have I” and “Wanna come back to my place and paint miniatures?” Clicking on “Married” provides maps to local motels and “suggested alibis she can use” such as “I was having the oil in the SUV rotated.”
The app also lets men keep a “list” of their conquests, and even brag about them through Twitter. That, plus the categorization of women by “types,” an approach used often in teen comedies, isn’t sitting well with some critics.
“Stop insulting the male intelligence, stop perpetuating male and female stereotypes,” read one angry comment on Jezebel.com. “Be more inclusive, to women and to men who don’t fit into the bro category.”
“It would be nice to turn on the television one day and not see some dude completely dehumanizing women as a part of some asinine ‘game’ in order to promote deodorant or soda pop or body wash, but I guess there isn’t an app for that yet,” quipped another poster.
Pepsi responded to the criticism by offering via Twitter an apology – or at least an apology that some people were offended.
“Our app tried 2 show the humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women,” the company said. “We apologize if it’s in bad taste & appreciate your feedback.”
Although the apology wasn’t accepted in all circles, at least one Twitter user wasn’t complaining.
“So funny,” she wrote. “Coke should do a girls’ version.”
Somehow we’re not convinced that a “Coke Up Before You Score” app would be the smartest marketing move.
