Maintaining relevance in popular culture is a priority for all brands, and the marketing strategy of adhering to a prevalent political movement to appear culturally aware is far from new. For instance, the tactic was famously employed by Coca-Cola in its 1971 “I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke” commercial and was more recently practiced by Nike in its latest campaign featuring Colin Kaepernick. However, in 2017, Pepsi’s attempt at this form of marketing engendered controversy and proved to be a major misstep. The ad features Kendall Jenner modelling amidst a mass protest which resembles those of the Black Lives Matter movement. The reality star turned supermodel is then shown joining the protest, which Pepsi attempted to keep nondescript by depicting protesters holding signs with generic messages of peace and unity. After a slew of problematic images, such as the one of Jenner mindlessly handing her wig to an African American woman without making eye contact, the commercial ends with Jenner approaching the police and handing them a Pepsi uniting them forever and effectively saving the day. Aside from being idealistic, this ad may seem innocuous. However, the major problem lies in the fact that the image of Jenner echoes that of Ieshia Evans standing up to police in a brave act of protest. Outrage ensued on social media with people claiming that the ad, which incidentally was produced by an entirely Caucasian team, trivializes the Black Lives Matter movement.
In the face of backlash, Pepsi initially attempted to defend the commercial stating that the ad “reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony.” However, after backlash failed to cease on social media, the soda company released an apology: “Clearly we missed the mark and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.” While I genuinely believe that Pepsi’s intent was not to trivialize the Black Lives Matter movement, I maintain that there attempt to profit from it is equally problematic. The company thought it would benefit them economically to assert their cultural awareness by using imagery of a movement that is “in vogue”. What Pepsi failed to realize however, is that Black Lives Matter and other such movements are not trends. In reality, these movements are brave acts of frustration necessitated by the discrimination felt everyday by marginalized groups. Discrimination that does not disappear with a gulp of soda.
It is important to note that much of the backlash over this ad occurred online. In a sense, social media’s accessibility and reach allowed a larger volume of people to speak out on this issue to a greater, more influential audience at a speed that would be otherwise impossible. In turn this allowed the withdrawal of the ad, and Pepsi’s course correction to occur just as quickly. This is a clear example of the ways in which social platforms can act in a positive way by giving rise to a wider and more diverse set of voices. However, social media can, and did, also serve to magnify the outrage culture that is prevalent in today’s society. For instance, in the wake of the ad, Kendall Jenner has been labelled a racist. While the commercial is indeed tone-deaf, I would argue that to label Jenner a racist goes one step too far. In fact, I would argue that this type of accusatory language, which is easily and anonymously distributed via social media, thwarts productive and educational conversations. Instead, those on the receiving end of online vitriol become defensive and/or reclusive, as was the case with both Pepsi and Jenner. From my perspective, the ad was not made in an act of racism as much of the online debate suggests, but rather in an act of ignorance and self-interest on the part of both Pepsi and Jenner. Furthermore, while much of the backlash has been directed at Jenner herself, the lion share of the blame lies with Pepsi’s marketing team who thought it appropriate to monetize the pain and frustration of others. Jenner’s culpability, on the other hand, lies in her lack of thought.
References:
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Bale, Miriam. “Critic’s Notebook: The Real Problem With Kendall Jenner’s Pepsi Ad.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 Aug. 2017, www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/critics-notebook-real-problem-kendall-jenners-pepsi-ad-991932.
Sanghani, Radhika. “Pepsi Ad: Everything That’s Wrong with THAT Kendall Jenner Video.” The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group, 5 Apr. 2017, www.telegraph.co.uk/women/life/pepsi-ad-everything-wrong-kendall-jenner-video/.
D’Addario, Daniel. “Kendall Jenner Pepsi Ad: Why It’s a Glaring Misstep.” Time, Time, 5 Apr. 2017, time.com/4726500/pepsi-ad-kendall-jenner/.
Newbold, Alice. “Kendall Responds To Pepsi Ad Criticism.” Vogue, British Vogue, 4 Sept. 2017, www.vogue.co.uk/article/kendall-jenner-responds-to-pepsi-ad.
Kylie, Kendall and. YouTube, YouTube, 4 Apr. 2017, www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA5Yq1DLSmQ.