Dr. Pepper Facebook Promotion Goes Bad

(CANVAS STAFF REPORTS) - Trying to grab the attention of youth on Facebook, a Dr. Pepper UK advertising campaign on the social media site went terribly wrong.

According to The Telegraph , the Coca-Cola drinks company crossed the line when it posted a reference to a hardcore pornographic film on the wall of an underage teenage girl.

The promotion allowed the company to post embarrassing hoax statuses on British Facebook users' accounts, with more than 160,000 people participating.

But, when one mother identified as "MrsRickman," complained that her 14-year-old daughter's Facebook status had been hijacked with the name of a pornographic film the marketing campaign came to a halt.

"I am absolutely fizzing with rage and disgust, and want a full apology and explanation," wrote the mother on the parenting networking site Mumsnet .

The mother also found that her daughter had searched for the the film on the Internet, but was blocked by a filter.

Coca-Cola executives have apologized and launched an investigation into the promotion, admitting they approved the offensive message without knowing its meaning: "It has been brought to our attention that the Dr. Pepper promotion on Facebook posted an offensive status update. We apologize for any offense caused."

The company quickly pulled the campaign and assured Facebook users that they've taken the necessary steps to ensure this "doesn't happen again."