Remember that time in the 1990s when a certain beverage company said it would give a jet away as part of a promotion, and then it didn't do so after a customer completed the necessary requirements to win? Well, it's happening again, but this time, the beverage brand in charge of the dramatic campaign promises to follow through.
Liquid Death, the canned water brand known for not taking itself too seriously, said Tuesday it's kicking off a contest in which one lucky customer will actually win a jet just for showing proof they purchased the product.
Decked out in the brand's insignia, the two-seater Aero L-39 jet has a top speed of almost 470 mph and nearly 3,800 lbs of thrust, according to Liquid Death. And it's named "The Dehydrator," as it will "relieve you of your bodily fluids and make you empty your stomach," the company said.
Because of that, Liquid Death is also throwing in a year's supply of its beverages "to rehydrate after you puke and pee your pants." Plus, the winner will get six months of free hangar space, a Liquid Death flight helmet and — of course — a cockpit cup holder.
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The water brand referenced the well-known, ill-fated jet giveaway mentioned above in its announcement, saying it wasn't joking like the "giant soda company" did in the '90s.
The unnamed brand is almost definitely Pepsi. In the mid-'90s, the brand promoted a system that allowed customers to claim prizes with the points they tallied from purchasing Pepsi products. In one commercial, the brand said 7 million points could be traded for an AV-8B Harrier II jet.
One devoted customer who apparently wanted that jet ended up gaining the 7 million points with the help of investors — a story chronicled in Netflix's "Pepsi, Where's My Jet?". But PepsiCo denied his request, arguing the commercial was a joke. The customer sued, but he ultimately lost and went home without his new method of transportation.
"Some companies joke about giving away jets. We don't. We'll notify you if you've won," Liquid Death wrote on its website. "Once we've confirmed you qualify, we'll work with you to figure out how you'd like to pick up your jet."
Hopeful winners 18 years and older should first sign up on Liquid Death's website to start a text chain with the brand. Then they just have to purchase a Liquid Death beverage from a store and text a picture of their physical receipt to get in the running. Each additional can is an additional entry into the contest too, meaning an 8-pack is eight entries and so on up until the max amount of entries, 400.
The contest lasts from Tuesday until Sept. 4. Liquid Death will notify the winner after, as it said, and the customer will choose a date to get the jet. It will be available for pick-up within two to nine months of the selected date, the brand said.
However, if jets just aren't your scene — or maybe you don't want to get your pilot's license, or can't afford to hire a pilot — the winner can instead take a briefcase with a $250,000 cash prize. But don't worry, Liquid Death will still throw in the helmet and year's supply of beverages.
The full contest rules can be read here.
