Coca-Cola apologizes for Dr. Pepper's "2 Girls 1 Cup" Facebook snafu

2 Girls 1 Cup may be the most notorious internet porn video of this generation, portraying two girls doing hideously disgusting things with one cup and some unsavory bodily functions. Seriously NSFW (Wikipedia link). Google it in private if you must. So when a Glasgow woman found out that her...

By Laura Shunk

July 20, 2010

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2 Girls 1 Cup may be the most notorious internet porn video of this generation, portraying two girls doing hideously disgusting things with one cup and some unsavory bodily functions. Seriously NSFW (Wikipedia link). Google it in private if you must.

So when a Glasgow woman found out that her fourteen-year-old daughter had tried to find the clip online after Coca-Cola posted "I watched 2 Girls 1 Cup and felt hungry afterwards" as the teen's Facebook status to promote Dr. Pepper, Mom was, understandably, a little upset.

The stunt was part of a social media campaign in which Coca-Cola, the parent company of Dr. Pepper, hijacked participants' statuses, posting Dr. Pepper-promoting updates, in exchange for a chance to win $1000 every week. Why any marketing group thought a status update stating, "I watched 2 Girls 1 Cup and felt hungry afterwards" would convince consumers to drink Dr. Pepper is anyone's guess. The only thing that phrase makes us want to do is gag.

Coca-Cola offered the woman and her daughter concert tickets and a night in a London hotel as compensation, which were flatly refused, given the pair would have to travel to use the prize.

The campaign has been apologetically pulled, but the real victory probably goes to Coca-Cola on this one - all press is good press, and people on both sides of the fence will be talking about Dr. Pepper for days.

Laura Shunk was Westword's restaurant critic from 2010 to 2012; she's also been food editor at the Village Voice and a dining columnist in Beijing. Her toughest assignment had her drinking ten martinis and eating ten Caesar salads over the course of 48 hours. She still drinks martinis, but remains lukewarm on Caesar salads.

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