Image courtesy PepsiCo
Pepsi has stirred up controversy with a ridiculous new advertisement starring Kendall Jenner.
In the gooey, tone-deaf clip, Jenner is seen hard at work, posing for a photo shoot, in between garish shots of Pepsi cans, all soundtracked to Skip Marley's new song "Lions."
Three-fourths of the way into the lengthy, two-minute clip, Jenner rips off a blonde wig and joins a swarm of protestors who are holding up lovely, generic signs saying "join the conversation" and "love," essentially discounting the very real reasons many people have been protesting—especially the younger demographic featured in and targeted by the ad.
One of the most offensive moments of the ad comes near the end, when Jenner emerges from the throngs of diverse youths, grabs a cold, refreshing can of Pepsi and approaches a line of police officers and hands one of them the soda. He smiles and the crowd erupts in cheers, as if a cola solved such serious concerns about police-involved shootings and brutality, women's rights, civil rights, equality, healthcare, racism and the current resident of the White House.
Jenner's officer encounter is specifically disturbing because it bears resemblance to the very powerful image of Black Lives Matter protester Ieshia Evans, who was arrested by police in Baton Rouge for protesting in silence.
Needless to say, the video has prompted criticism from many who believe Pepsi has co-opted recents protests for its own branding purposes. Watch the ad below, followed by some of the response from Twitter.
Update: Since this story was first published, a rep for Pepsi has responded to Variance's request for comment, providing the following statement. "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey."
Pepsi whyyyyy https://t.co/KKzMos4qxP pic.twitter.com/GdpsNVl7DW
— Jaya Saxena (@jayasax) April 4, 2017
EVERYONE: well at least 2017 can't possibly get any more tone-deaf
— Bob Vulfov (@bobvulfov) April 4, 2017
AD EXEC: hold my pepsi pic.twitter.com/RYh4bIVKNM
So all us dark people have to do is convince a cop that the Pepsi we're holding isn't a gun.
— Kashana (@kashanacauley) April 4, 2017
Pepsi ain't been right since they lit Michael Jackson's Jheri curl on fire.
— Jemele Hill (@jemelehill) April 5, 2017
the last time pepsi left such a bad taste in my mouth was literally every time coke wasnt available
— jomny sun (@jonnysun) April 5, 2017
The Kendall Jenner Pepsi fiasco is a perfect example of what happens when there's no black people in the room when decisions are being made.
— Travon Free (@Travon) April 4, 2017
