Pepsi ruffled a lot of feathers in their recent video advertisement.
Pepsi received a lot of online backlash over its decision to headline Kendall Jenner on its campaign. The ad featured Kendall doing a fashion shoot in a blonde wig across from protesters in the streets. Some signs read “Join the conversation” and “love”.
The video has members of all walks of life, from Muslim women in hijabs to young Asian men. It is played to the song “Lions” by Skip Marley. During the duration of the piece, Kendall takes off her wig and walks into the crowd to join the protesters. Then, leading the march, she gives a Pepsi can to an officer, who takes it from her. The ad features isolated shots of other members of the protests.
The video was criticized for trying to capitalize on political movements. Pepsi tried to reach a young, politically-charged crowd and failed miserably. But where did they go wrong?
Well for starters, the soda company used a familiar face with no connection to social justice. They also trivialized a political movement by including it in a corporate brand. We all know that police brutality and immigration issues can’t be solved with a soft drink. We also know that uniting different movements such as BLM and women’s marches can’t be united because of a soft drink. So why go there?
They also profiled the wrong girl. Kendall Jenner is a reality star/model brought to fame by way of Kim Kardashian. Both women are poor choices for any politically-charged statements for obvious reasons.
It goes without saying that the soft drink company missed the mark. It should also go without saying that companies should not be appropriating political movements for capitalist gain. There are other ways of engaging in political themes for corporate video that don’t center the product itself. It would’ve been more helpful to show Pepsi’s solidarity with these movements by joining in, instead.
One excellent example of proper product video is Budweiser. They did an excellent job of bringing awareness to immigration issues with their last Superbowl ad.
Pepsi’s ad is a great example of what not to do. If referencing political movements, it’s important to get insight from the ground up. What Budweiser did was tell a familiar, relatable story instead of looking at it from the inside out. Companies would benefit from using their products subtly instead of focusing on them in the midst of a political movement. A product is never the answer to injustice.
For more information about the services we provide, or to view our portfolio, visit our website today!
Like this post? Share us!
