Pepsi's 1992 Number Fever Contest in the Philippines

Background of the Contest

• Contest Name: Number Fever
• Location: Philippines
• Mechanism:
  • Winning numbers announced nightly on the news.
  • Matching Pepsi bottle cap number meant winning one million pesos.
• Significance: One million pesos was a life-changing amount for the average Filipino in 1992.

Popularity of the Contest

• High participation: Half of the country's population engaged.
• Participants actively sought bottle caps, even resorting to dumpster diving.
• Pepsi extended the contest by an additional 5 weeks due to its popularity.

The Computer Glitch

• Pepsi controlled the number of winners using a computer program.
• Program intended to allow only two winning caps per bottling plant.
• On May 25, 1992, a glitch led to the announcement of 349 as the winning number.
• 349 was a non-winning number, resulting in 600,000 caps with this number.
• Many people had more than one cap marked 349.

Consequences of the Glitch

• Mass celebrations followed the announcement.
• Hundreds rushed to Pepsi Factory, which had to be shut down and guarded.
• Pepsi realized the error but could not afford to honor all claims, totaling tens of billions of dollars.

Pepsi's Response

• Offered 500 pesos (about $8) for each winning cap, which was 0.5% of the original prize.
• Majority of winners refused the offer, leading to anger and protests.
• Riots ensued, resulting in five deaths and dozens injured.
• Coalition 349 was formed to take legal action against Pepsi, demanding $400 million.

Legal and Protest Developments

• News circulated alleging Pepsi orchestrated attacks on their own property to discredit protesters.
• Pepsi denied orchestrating riots and paying mercenaries.
• In 1993, arrest warrants were issued for nine Pepsi executives.

Court Rulings

• Most legal actions against Pepsi were dismissed.
• By 2006, cases were closed, with Pepsi found not negligent.
• Pepsi only paid a small fine of 150,000 pesos.

Aftermath and Legacy

• Some Filipinos remain traumatized by the event.
• Mentioning "Pepsi" is frowned upon by certain groups.
• Pepsi's statement: Regret for the pain and suffering caused, noting executives familiar with the program are no longer with the company.