Diet Pepsi Can Accused of Depicting 9/11 Terrorist Attack

On December 17, 2011, a Facebook post with a picture of a Diet Pepsi can went viral. The post, excerpted here exactly as it was typed on Facebook, read:

"FB family I need your help, so today while in Iraq shutting down one of the bases there ironically enough I stumbled upon this can of diet pepsi. Take a close look at the picture and tell me the first thought that comes to your mind. Mine and many other of my brother in arms was not a pleasant one so I just want to make sure we re not bias. If you see the same thing I did, I will never ever buy another Pepsi product again, this is an insult...."

The comments on the post soon began rolling in. The general consensus was that the can of Diet Pepsi depicted a scene eerily similar to the New York skyline of the Twin Towers, with a plane flying over the buildings and some even went so far as to say that the bubbles and designs represented billowing smoke and bombs being dropped from the plane.

In other words, people are accusing Pepsi Arabia of purposely putting a picture of the Twin Tower terrorism attack on the side of the cans of Diet Pepsi that are sold in the Middle East as a 'slap in the face' to Americans and a means to sell more Pepsi to that market.

The argument that perhaps the scene on the can could be mistaken to depict the New York skyline is valid enough, except that Snopes.com has informed us that Pepsi Arabia created these cans to be marketed only in the Middle East, throughout Iraq, Iran and to US troops in Afghanistan, so there would be no reason to put a New York skyline on a can being marketed in other countries. Additionally, Pepsi Arabia was well aware the cans would be in a market where US troops would be supplied this drink, so it seems even more unlikely they would do anything that would upset that potential sales market, which could be quite sizable.

The point being: Many are saying it was a marketing ploy for Pepsi to sell more, but quite the opposite would happen if Pepsi were found to have done this intentionally, as they would likely lose any contracts they might have to supply Pepsi to US troops. That seems a dubious business decision.

So what is the picture that many think depicts the 9/11 terrorist attacks? According to Pepsi Arabia, it depicts the Dubai skyline, which has one of the most impressive and tallest skylines in the world, home to the current world's tallest building record holder. The can is part of a series of four designer cans that depict other regional or cultural icons. Pepsi Arabia's website calls the can "Urban Life" and says of it, "Always at the forefront of things new, cool and chic, Diet Pepsi ventures ahead with individualistic style and effervescent energy. This can design balances bold confidence and feminine playfulness, enticing consumers through a, magical world of delicately crafted elements."

But even Snopes.com putting up its page about the can's origin hasn't stopped the influx of angry visitors to the Pepsi Facebook fan page. With thousands of comments being left, more rolling in by the minute, the fans on that page aren't really fans at all at the moment. Many are calling for boycotts of Pepsi and others are saying they will purposely go out of their way to buy from Coke instead.

As the arguments ensue amongst the users, Pepsi has been accused of repeatedly deleting the images and comments that users are putting up sharing the picture of the can with the skyline scene. As of the time of this writing, there has been no official response from Pepsi on the Facebook fan page.

This isn't the first time a soda company has come under fire for things depicted or printed on their cans. Both Coca Cola and PepsiCo have been under fire before for can design and labeling. People will see what they want to see, and if enough people come together and are convinced there is a problem, the explosion of social networking and the internet spreads faster than ever before. If you want to see the images of the can yourself and read the user responses, visit Pepsi's Facebook fan page and check them out and leave your own response to the company in support or against the can design.

This article will be updated if/when Pepsi issues a formal statement to the public.

UPDATE:
More information about the choices for the cans can be found here: http://www.ameinfo.com/282502.html

UPDATE: 12/19/2011
An official response on the Pepsi Facebook page reads:

" We immediately stopped production of this can as soon as this was brought to our attention in October, and took action to change the design. The new can,which features an abstract design, has already been issued in the Middle East.

We understand from some of our consumers that a Diet Pepsi can designed and sold in the Middle East and intended to portray the growth of active regional cities (such as Dubai) has been misinterpreted. We are deeply sorry to those who found this design insensitive, which was never our intention."