Pepsi Bottling Group management, answered my letter concerning “goster duygularini” (show your feelings) campaign conducted by the Turkish branch. As it can be seen, Pepsi apologizes for the offense and informs that the firm responsible for he campaign was fired. Thanks to all responsible folks who, recognizing the meaning and the power of participatory democracy, contributed to this end.
The letter:
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Dear Mr. Yildirim:
Thank you very much for contacting us regarding our promotion in Turkey
and expressing your concerns. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify the situation.
As you may know, in Turkey Pepsi is conducting a promotion in which consumers are encouraged to submit photos of themselves making faces. The
pictures judged most “emotional” and entertaining will be published on a website.
Like any contest, there are quite a few rules and conditions. In fact we reviewed
and approved 25 such rules.
However, shortly after the
contest website was activated, the website agency added several more rules, including one relating to head scarves. That rule was never actually approved by Pepsi.
When we became aware of this rule, we responded immediately. Within
one hour of learning about the rule, we removed it from the website. Now
there are no rules or restrictions whatsoever relating to head scarves.
We deeply regret any offense this error may have caused. It was certainly unintended. We have the utmost respect for the principle of diversity. Clearly that rule was inconsistent with the most basic values of
our company. Additionally, we have stopped working with the agency that was running the promotion.
Thank you once again for taking the time to write and giving us the chance to address your concerns.
Respectfully,
Mary Winn Settino
The Pepsi Bottling Group
Vice President Investor and Public Relations
