It turns out all you need to end police brutality is to give a cop a can of Pepsi.
A three-minute ad for the soda, which was released April 4, features Kendall Jenner abandoning her glamorous photo shoot for a protest outside. She hands a soda to a cop, who shrugs at his fellow officer, sips and smiles.
It seems as though Pepsi tried to piggyback off a trend in branding. All the cool kids are protesting for Black Lives Matter and against the travel ban, so why can’t they side with the progressive youth?
The tone-deaf ad turns Jenner into a white savior, disregarding generations of work that black and brown activists have done to protest injustice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA5Yq1DLSmQ
Pepsi ignored the real paths to diverse representation both in the video and in creative meetings, which is the root of the problem with the ad.
Pepsi and Jenner are trying to divert blame for the backlash as a simple misunderstanding, but both are at fault for not taking appropriate measures before producing the advertisement.
First, Pepsi’s creative team lacked inclusivity in representation. It’s not hard to believe all six members of the creative team were white.
It’s astounding that six key leaders are not thought to be people of color – not just to avoid fiascos like this, but also to reap the creative benefits of a diverse workplace. People of various racial and ethnic backgrounds are qualified to be involved in this type of decision-making.
The production choices are a fault of nobody but the company in question. Pepsi could have saved it a scandal if it was willing to hire people who are involved in or affected by social movements. In turn, activists could have shut down Pepsi’s ideas by educating the company on why the ad was problematic before it was ever created.
The soda company could have approached Black Lives Matter activist DeRay Mckesson or Women’s March coordinator Linda Sarsour to be the peacemaking role instead of Jenner. They could have shut down the idea before it was too late, something Jenner seemingly didn’t care about.
By ignoring both creative and on-screen inclusivity, it seems like Pepsi as a company doesn’t value the opinions of people of color, despite what their ad tries to suggest.
Pepsi told Teen Vogue: “It depicts various groups of people embracing a spontaneous moment, and showcasing Pepsi’s brand rallying cry to ‘Live for Now.'”
The response shows Pepsi’s lack of understanding of political movements. Protests aren’t spontaneous, and protesters are not trying to “Live for Now.” They are doing the exact opposite – fighting for the human rights of our future generations.
Though trying to depict the perspective of American activists, the company traveled to the other side of the globe and filmed the ad in Thailand. Some speculate most extras were not American, meaning actors couldn’t fully understand the position of Black Lives Matter activists in the U.S. Filming in the U.S. thus could have changed the direction of the ad.
Pepsi pulled the ad the day after its release in response to criticism. But considering their homogeneous production methods team and defense just hours previously, their actions seem the furthest from genuine.
Pepsi released a short statement on Twitter, partly reading, “We are removing the content and halting further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.”
Some speculate Jenner declined her opportunity to approve the commercial. If true, Jenner is more to blame – she can’t be a victim if she didn’t educate herself.
Jenner and her family regularly profit off other cultures. In this case, it’s not the appropriation of dreadlocks or bindis that she and her sister have done previously, but an entire social movement.
And yet with her track record, the only concrete apology Pepsi issued is to Jenner. What about the people offended by the advertisement? Protesters have been hurt, killed or jailed for their right to protest. Yet when brown and black protesters were offended, Pepsi victimized Jenner. Pepsi gave its attention to a rich white woman who actively chose to participate in the creation.
Everything about the advertisement, from the white lead to the white creative team, is likely a large basis for Pepsi’s lack of understanding of diversity and social movements.
The backlash both Jenner and Pepsi are facing is warranted considering their blatant disregard for inclusivity and failing to take responsibility for their actions.