Curing Racism with a Can of Pepsi: The Manipulation of Commercials
Many young people stayed up late watching the famous show Keeping up with the Kardashians, specifically, Kenndal Jenner, known as the family’s black sheep — firstborn to Kris Kardashian and Bruce Jenner, who is now known as Caitlyn Jenner. Though she was born into wealth and crowned the highest-paid model in 2018, she was not very confident in modeling due to some people who looked down on her because of her reality show background. Jenner set herself apart from her sisters in the way of keeping a more conservative personal life out of her approach to stardom. It was so exciting to see that Jenner became the first model since Cindy Crawford in 1992 to have her own global Pepsi advertising campaign on April 4th, 2017. No doubt Pepsi thought of many tactics to make their product sell and who other than the highlight of the year Jenner. The commercial’s musical aroma starts with firey intensity, a strong message not to be reconciled. However, Jenner’s Pepsi ad became the center of significant controversy. Some of which surely she nor the producers expected any form of considerable backlash. The Kenndal Jenner Pepsi commercial advertising trope successfully translates their brand by manipulating and glamorizing protests using celebrity fame, current climate, and wrongfully used symbolism.
Kendall Nicole Jenner grew up in front of cameras with a highly famous family, quickly becoming one of the most successful entrepreneurs in America, and is equally famous for her modeling career, walking down just about every runway from here to Paris. She was also named one of the highest-paid models by Forbes, so not only does she make bank, but she gets all the recognition. Thanks to mother Kris Kardash, she had been tutored by fashion legends like; Karl Lagerfeld, Olivier Rousteing, and Marc Jacobs and even walked for Chanel, Michael Kors, Diane von Furstenberg, and many more. This star strung in an estimated income of solid $4 million in the year 2015. Jenner has also landed giant billboards in significant cities and posted the most-liked photo gaining her 3,580,757 red hearts on Instagram. It safe to say that many advertisers and corporations would love to work with Jenner because of her socialite and wonderful media personality. When we look at the ad’s momentous scene, as the police officer accepts a can of Pepsi from Jenner, she sets off hell-raising approval from the protesters and an appreciative grin from the officer. Activists say, precisely this being the opposite of their real-world experience of protesting against police brutality. However, Jenner’s credibility gave the product fame jumped their sales, giving enormous gain for the Pepsi company. Even though it was not the intent of Jenner, her name was tangled in the visual ad and landed her a bitter taste. After releasing the “Live for Now” ad, PepsiCo suffered a backlash on social media worldwide, escalating a tremendous crisis due to the distinguishing comparison between the ad and the Black Lives Matter Movement.
The linkages between this controversial Pepsi ad and climate justice can be seen around the world. The struggle for racial justice does not stand alone but is intertwined with other movements for change, rallied together in response to injustices and crises in the black community. Some conservatives criticized the message as an indictment of conservative values, and liberals interpreted the ad as an oversimplification of solutions for profoundly troubling and complex issues. The ad was increasingly plugged into the Black Lives Matter Movement, specifically by one of the trending hashtag #PepsiLivesMatter. The quote, “Let’s see how far I get walking up to an officer with a Pepsi in the midst of a protest”. The quote is an example of just how many people have controversy with the ads missed message.
Forwarding to the final scene of Pepsi’s, the ad seemed to be a direct mention to the photo of Ieshia Evans detained in Baton Rouge.
Take a look at the differences in each picture; there is no happy party-like scene in protests; the black woman is not pertaining herself as the peacemaker to the police and is being gracefully defiant in resistance — looking over to the famous Jenner’s Pepsi commercial. The framework was modernized with its influencer as Jenner acted as the peacemaker in the ad commercial, confidently walking up to a policeman handing him a Pepsi. However, after intense backlash, Pepsi decided to pull the ad 24 hours after releasing it. This decision was likely tricky due to the multi-million-dollar investment, but it was attempted to respond to consumer demands. Pepsi also issued an apology on Twitter, stating: “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding. We missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.” This statement was highly criticized because the people who dedicated their lives and their time to these issues did not see it as expressed remorse, according to activist DeRay McKesson on NBC News. Pepsi also responded on social media to Bernice King, the youngest daughter of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., as she posted an image of her father being halted by a police officer and tweeted, “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi (@BerniceKing). In response, Pepsi replied, “we at Pepsi believe in the legacy of Dr. King and meant absolutely no disrespect to him & others who fight for justice” (@Pepsi). The quick response from Pepsi to Bernice King was an indication of perhaps their realization of the insensitive up-rawer it brought to everyone.
The misconstrued symbolism of the commercial features music from a voice of today’s generation, the artist behind “Lions”- Skip Marley (Island Records) that played throughout the ad commercial. The ad opens with Jenner posing like a supermodel ripping off her black wig and throwing it at a black woman. The symbolism missed the mark here in an offensive gesture. Meanwhile, the lack of culturally diverse crowds gathered in the streets with signs reading “love” and “join the conversation” with fists raised high. Today many brands have gained respect by addressing political issues like immigration and the gender pay gap in respectful and positive ways. In the video, we have to ask what exactly are they protesting? Protesters in the commercial ad were dancing, hugging, and laughing, making it feel very much like a block party. In reality, people are protesting against police brutality, dictatorships, and many times it comes at significant risks worldwide. Use the most controversial scene of the video. Most of us assumed the visual of Jenner and the police officer in the ad was the initially inspired idea from Iesha Evan’s photo where she stands in front of the line of police officers. However, Bjorn Charpentier — who served as the ad’s director of photography, says, “the advertisement drew influence from a famous 1967 photo from a woman protesting against the Vietnam War”. However, holding a flower to the end of a gun would give understandable intent of the matter rather than a can of Pepsi used for investments. The gravity of the commercial in all was highly contrived, and the ad suggesting a can of Pepsi can resolve these issues was wildly constricted.
Still, Jenner’s presence made her mark as she only intended to make a stand for global unity, peace, and understanding. The Pepsi ad commercial will have succeeded in making a memorable mark in many of our eyes. Yes, the commercial was not as carefully thought-out as it should have been. Furthermore, Pepsi should be applauded for doing the right thing by removing the ad, acknowledging Jenner in the process, and protecting its brand. The ad could have easily been directed in a much more straightforward and sensitive manner to productions’ current political views while making their profits by showing the whole message. For example, redirecting the ad in different races and aged protestors marching and standing off against the police officers then suddenly cut the scene by advertising their product, Pepsi. This message would have given their audience a clear understanding of what their intentions were. The critics such as protesters, activists, and the black community, and all communities must keep questioning the star power, the oversimplification of today’s current climate, and the misconstrued features used in all ads. For this opportunity to go so wrongly, it allows others to bring awareness that real situations are not taken lightly, even in a few minutes of commercial entertainment.