A controversial Pepsi ad starring Kendall Jenner

In April 2017 an advertisement by Pepsi was launched starring Kendall Jenner. In sum the following happens: Kendall Jenner is doing a photo shoot. However, when she realizes that there is protest going on outsides, she decides to join them. She then offers a police officer a Pepsi, and everybody is happy.

You can watch the video here.

 What was the viewers reaction?

The viewers of the ad did not react very positive. They suggested that Pepsi used the Black Lives Matters movement who protest against police violence, to promote their own brand.

On top of that, the release of the

ad was on the same day that 49 years prior, Martin Luther King was murdered. Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King, responded to the ad by Pepsi with the following tweet:

How did Pepsi respond?

It is safe to say, that the advertisement was not really accepted with open arms. One might expect that Pepsi would respond with an immediate apology, but they didn’t. Their first reaction was to defend the ad by saying that the ad was portraying a “global message of unity, peace and understanding”. But this statement only created more controversy, so eventually Pepsi pulled the ad and admitted to their mistake and they apologized.

What should have been done?

There are two learning points we can take from this case. First is the initial reaction from Pepsi. Defending themselves even created more controversy, and thus a bigger crisis situation. The way the viewers reacted, did create a crisis situation, which could endanger the brand ‘Pepsi’. This means that Pepsi must act. The only one responsible for this crisis situation according to the viewers is Pepsi, so they should apologize. This way you can protect your reputation best according to Coombs (2015). Making an apology right away means that the organization takes full responsibility and that they ask the viewers for forgiveness according to Coombs (2007). This would have made the crisis situation go away a lot quicker.

Second, the role of the viewer should not be underestimated. If I would have seen the video without any context, I wouldn’t have made the link to the Black Lives Matters movement, like a lot of other people did. This is probably why Pepsi didn’t think there was anything wrong with their ad. However, when the audience frames the ad in a negative way, the people who will see it after may also share the same negative connotation according to van der Meer (2018). It is important to know that nowadays social media can create its own frames, which can lead to negative connotations, which then can lead to a crisis situation. It is therefore important that an organization should not underestimate its audience and their influence.

Ilse Weergang has a BA degree in Musicology, and is currently enrolled in a MA Entertainment Communication. She likes to make and listen to music and she enjoys the outdoors.