PepsiCo is taking full advantage of the times.
Driving down Santa Monica Boulevard last week, I saw what I thought was an Obama billboard: “Yes You Can” scrawled in bright, bold letters. It was actually an advertisement for Pepsi. In addition to hijacking the Obama campaign’s catch phrase, Pepsi has recently unveiled a new logo that eerily resembles Obama’s. Although Pepsi has a history of political contributions, I wondered about the ramifications of this brazen marketing campaign.
Pepsi has already lost fans over this issue. Their promotional extravaganza unleashed on Times Square during New Year’s Eve was blatantly pro-Obama, with gigantic billboards containing short, specific phrases such as “Hope,” “Hooray!” and “Together.”
This new advertising plan, dubbed “Refresh Everything,” arrived just in time for the excitement of the new administration. In the days before the inauguration, Pepsi ads splattered the sides of buses and the outside of Union Station, covering Washington in distinctive posters that promote the soda while not-so-subtly endorsing the new president.
On their Web site, users are encouraged to write a letter to Obama, the man who “is about to refresh America.” Clever parallelism.
Many bloggers and educated consumers are irate, criticizing the subtle ploy and calling for a boycott of all PepsiCo products.
Todd Lohenry, a conservative critic for The Right Side of Wisconsin, called on his Web site for a boycott of all Pepsi products due to the company’s “shameless pandering to the Obama Oligarchy through the use of their new Obama-logo.”
However, PepsiCo representatives defend the new campaign, claiming impartiality toward the new president.
Nicole Bradley, a Pepsi spokesperson, said, “Pepsi’s “˜Refresh Everything’ campaign signifies the prevailing spirit of optimism and renewal sweeping the country. We’re targeting anyone who embodies optimism and the spirit of youth.”
Including Obama. Bradley also addressed the Obama-PepsiCo connection:
“We’re not looking to align our ad campaign with the administration’s communications. Republicans and Democrats are embracing optimism; it’s a cultural movement that crosses party lines.”
There is nothing wrong with targeting a cultural movement that embraces optimism; putting aside our differences for a uniting positive spirit sounds like a wonderful idea. That said, it doesn’t change the fact that many Americans who have seen the new campaign will likely be repulsed. What about the 46 percent of American voters who preferred McCain? Pepsi may soon find out what those 58 million consumers think about the company’s deliberate support.
Regarding the similarity between the two logos, Pepsi brands chief Frank Cooper offered little explanation in a press interview last week.
“I’m not sure (which company’s logo) followed whom. But President Obama was relatively unknown a few years ago. This logo he developed is probably a year and a half old. We’ve been around for a long time.”
Although Pepsi has been using the red, white and blue Pepsi Globe since 1950, they’re fooling themselves if they claim this logo wasn’t timed with Obama’s victory.
PepsiCo has never been known for playing it safe. From the edgy Britney Spears and Beyoncé commercials to the dancing lizards with the short-skirted Naomi Campbell, they have always pushed the envelope. Even behind the camera, their policies have infuriated some conservative organizations.
The American Family Association is currently boycotting all PepsiCo products due to their refusal to “remain neutral in the culture war,” according to their Web site. While remaining neutral doesn’t seem like too much to ask, the world’s second-largest soda company recently donated $500,000 to the Human Rights Campaign (the largest and most powerful gay lobbying group in America) and another $500,000 to Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
The Human Rights Campaign proceeded to donate $2.3 million to oppose Proposition 8, convincing some that every can of soda directly supports same-sex marriage.
The American Family Association wrote PepsiCo multiple times, but PepsiCo refused to stop supporting these organizations.
When Bradley spoke to me about the American Family Association boycott, she defended the company by arguing that the donations were labor-related, intended to encourage acceptance of the gay lifestyle in the workplace.
“We’re simply communicating our philosophy. Diversity and inclusion are among the values we’ve adopted for ourselves in the workplace because they’re important to our success ““ both as individual employees and as a company,” Bradley said.
“For a company the size of ours, it’s impossible to please all of the people all of the time,” she added.
True story. But when we’re talking about potentially alienating 58 million Americans, you better tread very carefully.
If you are amazed by these ads, e-mail Pearring at spearring@media.ucla.edu. Send general comments to viewpoint@media.ucla.edu.