Many people lament the lack of attention that proper grammar receives these days, but a decline in the appreciation for geography might be a bigger concern. Thanks to gaffes on items honoring Boston, Chicago and New Mexico, Promo Marketing has detailed the dip, and now, owing to a miscue by Mountain Dew, we can add Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the list. But this story has a happy ending. After a DEWnited marketing mistake that saw the company place the area in Wisconsin, Mountain Dew created and distributed branded merch and limited-edition bottles created as an apology to Upper Peninsula residents.
Change of plans… @MountainDew do you want to gain a bunch of fans?
I triple dog dare you to come out with an Upper Peninsula edition for your #DEWnited campin. https://t.co/nALHngIJWl
— Upper Peninsula (@UpperPeninsula) July 9, 2019
The Upper Peninsula has long held sway among residents of and visitors to Michigan, making the Mountain Dew error a source of immediate confusion, with the peninsula’s Twitter account being playfully touchy over the matter. Just beyond a month after having given an unintended nod to Wisconsin, the Mountain Dew brass assured Yoopers that it knows where the peninsula is located, gathering insights from Michigan inhabitants about what aspects of their state fill them with pride. Those replies became the inspiration for a geographically true label that will be adorning bottles through tomorrow at the Escanaba-situated state fair.
I'm getting my own Mountain Dew label! https://t.co/q2RBzVkSpg
— Upper Peninsula (@UpperPeninsula) August 8, 2019
Along with the bottles, 906 of which will feature the labels, those who attended Sunday’s gathering at the Upper Peninsula Supply Company picked up T-shirts, posters and other merch, with the accident actually working in Mountain Dew’s favor. By admitting its culpability, the beverage company earned a brand-building opportunity.
“The best thing I can say is thank you. Thank you for giving us an opportunity to right a wrong. Thank you for having a good sense of humor, for being so friendly and kind, for the warm welcome here and for helping us create really something that’s one of a kind and unique, just like the Upper Peninsula,” Nicole Portwood, vice president of marketing for Mountain Dew, said to the satisfied masses.
See at 2PM! https://t.co/jidt1jIXOH
— Upper Peninsula Supply Co. (@UPSupplyCo) August 11, 2019
In terms of promotional missteps, this one registers as a biggie, considering the reputation that the Upper Peninsula has as a great getaway spot. But Mountain Dew’s response is the real story here, as the company showed that it is certainly not above making sure that consumers’ feedback receives acknowledgment. It definitely doesn’t hurt that it did so through branded merchandise and special labels.
