Boston officials are angry again over a promotion gone awry.
City park officials shut down an historic graveyard to keep out treasure hunters looking for a gold coin planted by Dr Pepper in its Hunt for More contest. Dr Pepper reportedly canceled the Boston portion of the promotion on Thursday, then announced on Friday that its $1 million coin was found in Houston.
Dr Pepper parent Cadbury Schweppes began the hunt last month, burying 23 gold coins worth $1.7 million in 23 cities in the U.S. and Canada. On-pack codes drive consumers online to retrieve one of 30 daily clues to the coins’ locations (PROMO Xtra, Jan. 23, 2007). The promotion was originally set to run through March 9, with codes to be redeemed by March 23.
One clue given last week pointed players to Boston’s Granary Burying Ground, a 347-year-old graveyard where John Hancock, Paul Revere and Samuel Adams are buried. The site, which is a tourist attraction along Boston’s Freedom Trail, already was locked because of ice, according to news reports. Treasure hunters called city hall demanding that the gates be opened, new reports said.
Cadbury Schweppes sent an e-mail to registered Boston-area players, announcing that it would conduct a random-draw for $10,000, the value of the coin that remains buried in the graveyard, according to The Boston Globe.
Cadbury’s Dr Pepper/Seven Up division did not respont to a request for comment.
Boston may seek restitution from Cadbury Schweppes, especially since the gaffe comes so closely on the heels of its bomb scare over Cartoon Network’s guerilla outdoor ads. Cartoon Network is paying the city $2 million in restitution.
Dr Pepper’s most valuable coin, worth $1 million, was found in Sam Houston Park, near the Spirit of Confederacy statue, by University of Texas graduate Laura Janisch. Cadbury Schweppes didn’t say how many of the other 22 coins had been found so far. The coins’ value varied from $10,000 (13 coins) to $1 million (one coin).
Network
