148:. The plan was to test MagiCans before distribution by shaking them to detect faulty mechanisms. Coca-Cola's own initial estimate was that 120,000 MagiCans were on store shelves or in bottler inventories at the initial release, of which less than 1 percent, or fewer than 1,200 cans, were faulty. Ultimately, Coke ended the campaign after only three weeks due to the negative publicity regarding faulty cans. This negative publicity included an
31:
198:
to find out if they had won. Pepsi's promotion also suffered from negative publicity when it was discovered that if two specific Cool Cans were stacked in a certain way, the designs appeared to spell out the word SEX. Coca-Cola would attempt a similar promotion three years later with "Monsters of the
178:
existing cans would be purchased and off the shelves. At the time of termination, 200,000 of the 750,000 planned promotional cans had been distributed. Although largely confident there were no safety issues, Coca-Cola's final advertising spot showed New Kids on the Block with an added voiceover from
177:
The decision to end the campaign came one week after the "Take A Good Look" advertisements were released. Coca-Cola then released ads telling consumers that only a few prize cans were left on the market and that they would be "going, going, gone by mid-June", the time when the company estimated the
122:
lawsuits, Coke immediately placed television and newspaper advertisements in 50 large United States markets. The full-page ads, run only once, warned consumers that a "very small number" of cans contain a foul-smelling but harmless water that should not be ingested. The ads were headlined "Take A
113:
A number of cans had problems: the pop-up mechanism malfunctioned, jamming, or a faulty seal released some of the chlorinated water mixture into the can itself. A widely reported incident involved an 11-year-old boy in
Massachusetts drinking the foul-tasting liquid used to replace actual cola.
72:
to pop out of the opening once the can was opened. The prize would either be money, from $ 1 to $ 500, or coupons redeemable for trips or merchandise. The total giveaway of cash and prize coupons was $ 4 million. The original plan was to randomly distribute about 750,000 MagiCans among the 200
193:
promotion. Instead of a complicated push-up device in cans, each can was filled with normal, drinkable cola and at the bottom of the inside of the can there was a number printed that could correspond with a prize, from $ 25 to $ 20,000. The consumer called a
152:
showing a man in sunglasses opening a soda can while standing near a billboard hyping MagiCans, then removing his sunglasses in surprise when a small sign emerges from his can reading "Buy Pepsi". The ads also drew fire from a 1990 issue of
127:. Moreover, the problem with the chlorinated mixture was not concern of being drunk by accident, but that it spilled over into the prize. Multiple winners complained about receiving soggy money after activating a MagiCan.
123:
Good Look" and in smaller type, read "You could have a MagiCan." The print ads pointed out that the MagiCans might be defective, which actually proved a key point in any potential plaintiff's lawsuit under the doctrine of
169:
complaint was that the ads deceptively showed people opening cans that turned out to be MagiCans every time, making the contest look easier to win than it actually was (the magazine also made the same complaint about
89:
Coca-Cola first announced the "Magic Summer '90" campaign in March 1990 by sending MagiCans containing money to journalists. Some journalists wrote that it was questionable for a big corporation to
199:
Gridiron", a
Halloween-themed promotion where people could call a toll-free number and enter a code, to which a recording from an NFL star would tell them whether or not they won a prize.
77:
in circulation at any one time. To make the cans feel and weigh normal, and prevent people from easily finding the prize cans, a sealed area within the cans was filled with a mixture of
81:
water and a foul-smelling substance to discourage drinking. Though initially a great success—that led to a rise in sales—technical difficulties led to the promotion's early termination.
118:
determined that the water was not harmful, containing a lower concentration of chlorine than the water in a typical swimming pool. Worried about the bad publicity and potential
57:
in the United States of
America as a part of their $ 100-million "Magic Summer '90" promotion. The MagiCan promotion began on May 7, 1990, and ended on May 31.
465:
346:
480:
226:, and its origins were traced back to media coverage of a boy who was taken to the hospital as a precaution after his mother suspected product tampering.
115:
222:
in the 1990s and 2000s that a child had died drinking the liquid in one of the MagiCans. This has been reported as false according to
133:"We are winding down early. There is the impression we don't like among our consumers that there is a problem with the promotion."
144:
When Coca-Cola began receiving complaints about the faulty cans, it temporarily halted distribution of the MagiCans to local
343:
470:
277:
327:
101:
and distributing "MagiCups", which were paper cups with peel-off prizes on the exterior used for fountain drinks at
475:
383:
195:
203:
98:
94:
54:
281:
155:
378:
93:. The campaign continued without the MagiCans, giving away tickets to the Coca-Cola–sponsored
410:
149:
119:
74:
161:
145:
124:
65:
35:
240:
190:
388:
434:
301:
459:
350:
179:
69:
446:
366:
219:
165:
magazine, in their annual "ZAP Awards" segments detailing the worst ads of 1990.
171:
43:
243:, another Coca-Cola promotion with a similar concept, tied to redemption codes.
223:
235:
102:
61:
30:
207:
174:'s "Whopper & Wheels" promotion, which received far less publicity).
78:
250:
246:
90:
39:
17:
186:
29:
182:
warning, "If you have a winning can, don't drink the liquid!"
437:, Associated Press, May 24, 1990, accessed April 16, 2013.
304:, Associated Press, May 31, 1990, accessed April 16, 2013.
129:
302:
Coke Ending "MagiCan" Promotion
Because of Bad Publicity
369:, snopes.com, July 30, 2006, accessed April 18, 2013.
449:, Snopes.com, July 30, 2006, accessed July 13, 2014.
34:A spring-loaded tab dispensed real U.S. money or a
435:Duds Prompt Coke to Shore Up MagiCan Promotion
400:Zillions, September 1990, "ZAP Awards", pg. 22
68:inside instead of Coca-Cola. The prizes were
8:
189:also did a prize giveaway in 1990 under the
322:
320:
318:
316:
314:
312:
310:
296:
294:
292:
379:An example of the full-page advertisement
357:, June 10, 1990, accessed April 16, 2013.
286:, June 15, 1992, accessed April 16, 2013.
138:— Coca-Cola spokesperson Randy Donaldson
116:Massachusetts Department of Public Health
334:, May 24, 1990, accessed April 16, 2013.
249:featured a similar promotion with their
272:
270:
268:
266:
262:
109:Technical issues and early termination
53:were special, mechanical cans used by
7:
466:May 1990 events in the United States
206:was reminiscent of the fiasco over
105:chains and other fountain outlets.
481:Promotional campaigns by Coca-Cola
27:Promotional Coca-Cola cans in 1990
25:
344:Coke Cans A Snakebitten Promotion
328:Problems Pop Up in Coke Promotion
1:
387:, May 23, 1990, page A7, via
114:Despite initial fears, the
497:
411:"'SEX' in Pepsi Cool Cans"
384:Greensboro News and Record
159:, the juvenile version of
204:damage-control initiative
64:cans had cash prizes or
60:In this promotion, some
210:several years earlier.
278:The Other Summer Games
91:mail cash to reporters
47:
95:New Kids on The Block
55:The Coca-Cola Company
33:
471:1990 introductions
332:The New York Times
202:Coca-Cola's quick
48:
476:Liquid containers
326:Anthony Ramirez,
185:Meanwhile, rival
150:editorial cartoon
142:
141:
120:product liability
99:Magic Summer Tour
75:Coca-Cola Classic
66:gift certificates
16:(Redirected from
488:
450:
444:
438:
431:
425:
424:
422:
421:
407:
401:
398:
392:
376:
370:
364:
358:
341:
335:
324:
305:
298:
287:
276:Bernice Kanner,
274:
196:toll-free number
162:Consumer Reports
130:
125:strict liability
73:million cans of
36:gift certificate
21:
496:
495:
491:
490:
489:
487:
486:
485:
456:
455:
454:
453:
447:Canned Response
445:
441:
432:
428:
419:
417:
409:
408:
404:
399:
395:
377:
373:
367:Canned Response
365:
361:
342:
338:
325:
308:
299:
290:
275:
264:
259:
241:My Coke Rewards
232:
216:
111:
87:
38:redeemable for
28:
23:
22:
15:
12:
11:
5:
494:
492:
484:
483:
478:
473:
468:
458:
457:
452:
451:
439:
426:
402:
393:
389:Newspapers.com
371:
359:
349:2013-06-16 at
336:
306:
288:
261:
260:
258:
255:
254:
253:
244:
238:
231:
228:
215:
212:
140:
139:
135:
134:
110:
107:
86:
83:
26:
24:
14:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
3:
2:
493:
482:
479:
477:
474:
472:
469:
467:
464:
463:
461:
448:
443:
440:
436:
430:
427:
416:
412:
406:
403:
397:
394:
390:
386:
385:
380:
375:
372:
368:
363:
360:
356:
352:
351:archive.today
348:
345:
340:
337:
333:
329:
323:
321:
319:
317:
315:
313:
311:
307:
303:
297:
295:
293:
289:
285:
284:
279:
273:
271:
269:
267:
263:
256:
252:
248:
245:
242:
239:
237:
234:
233:
229:
227:
225:
221:
218:There was an
213:
211:
209:
205:
200:
197:
192:
188:
183:
181:
180:Jordan Knight
175:
173:
168:
164:
163:
158:
157:
151:
147:
137:
136:
132:
131:
128:
126:
121:
117:
108:
106:
104:
100:
96:
92:
84:
82:
80:
76:
71:
70:spring-loaded
67:
63:
58:
56:
52:
45:
41:
37:
32:
19:
442:
429:
418:. Retrieved
414:
405:
396:
382:
374:
362:
354:
339:
331:
282:
220:urban legend
217:
214:Urban legend
201:
184:
176:
166:
160:
154:
143:
112:
88:
59:
50:
49:
433:Marc Rice,
300:Marc Rice,
172:Burger King
79:chlorinated
44:merchandise
460:Categories
420:2021-07-23
415:Snopes.com
257:References
224:Snopes.com
381:, in the
251:Prize Can
236:Cola wars
191:Cool Cans
167:Zillions'
103:fast-food
62:Coca-Cola
355:Newsweek
347:Archived
283:New York
230:See also
208:New Coke
156:Zillions
146:bottlers
51:MagiCans
247:OK Soda
85:History
18:Magican
187:Pepsi
40:trips
97:'s
42:or
462::
413:.
353:,
330:,
309:^
291:^
280:,
265:^
423:.
391:.
46:.
20:)
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
