A commercial...with Kendall Jenner...AT A BLACK LIVES MATTER RALLY??
Look at this! ...if you want to.
That was Pepsi's newest commercial, featuring Kendall Jenner going to what seems to be a Black Lives Matter rally and calming the storm by giving a police officer a bottle of Pepsi. But this ad instead trivializes the Black Lives Matter movement, protesting police brutality and the importance of racial equality.
There are a few problems with this stupid ad:
First:
Kendall is a member of the filthy-rich and unfairly-famous Kardashian-Jenner family. And she's a hugely popular social media star, with millions of followers across FB, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat. So, even though you've heard little of her, you know she has never went to a BLM rally for a second in her life.
And that's obvious--because earlier in the ad, she was at a photo shoot while the rally was several feet away from her. (So good for her for being suddenly compassionate? NO.) So it's both horribly ridiculous and sadly racist at once (not to mention hypocritical) to see her even try to go to one--if only for a commercial that'll get her paid for the rest of this year (and possibly even longer), and it's only a minute into it.
Next...
-Pepsi trying to get socio-political.
Of course, since 45 was officially our President, many people opposing his term have openly said so on many platforms. It annoyed some people, but it works and is a good thing. In this case, though, everyone opposed this shit! (and for good reason.)
This ad rips off--uhh, "homages" a photo of a black woman calmly reasoning with a police officer at a BLM rally,
the new @Pepsi ad evoking imagery of @IeshiaEvans in Baton Rouge is total exploitative brand social activism bs 👋🏼 pic.twitter.com/YzAFtWEzDO— Sherry (@slchen_) April 4, 2017
and--for the big picture--all of the Black Lives Matter movement! How? Kendall picks up a Pepsi (because sugary cola is the brand for racial equality and resistance against inequality) and gives it to a cop (who wears a ballcap, for Christ's sake!), with the cop instantly recognizing the gesture as a cry for peace and love between the common man and law enforcement.
Give me a fucking break!
The company later pulled the "tone-deaf" ad (good) and apologized, saying they "missed the mark". Yes, PepsiCo, you did miss the mark. Not only that, you missed the place to hit the mark.
They had no reason to do this, they don't know how to do it right, and since they've done this ad, they can never do it again.
Finally...
-It's existence. I've never heard of this ad before this afternoon (of April 5th). But since I go to YouTube and Facebook daily, and many people made opinion videos about this ad, I now am fully aware of it. (Thanks, everyone!!) But, I'm happy everyone fought hard to force PepsiCo to drop it. The voices of social media can stop or change anything. And they sure did this time. Thanks to everyone, this ad is done. It's still on YT, but it's done everywhere else.
Pepsi, you made this bed, and...you lay in it. Please don't ever do something like this again.
And I'm saying nothing about Nivea's ad.
"White is Purity", my ass.
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