DC Trawler

Pepsi Pulls ‘Protest’ Ad Everybody Is Freaking Out About

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Today’s designated outrage: A dumb ad for carbonated sugar water, depicting a woman who’s famous for nothing joining a protest about nothing.

I saw that ad yesterday, and it made me feel nothing because it’s 2017 and I’m dead inside. But a lot of people are pissed off about it, so Pepsi is scrambling to salvage its brand.

Danika Frears, NY Post:

Pepsi is pulling its much-criticized ad featuring supermodel Kendall Jenner.

“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” the company said in a statement on Wednesday, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Co-opting a youth movement to sell products is nothing new, of course. Coca-Cola was doing it before most of the people flipping out over this ad were even born:

That was different because Coke tastes better, and that ad was in better taste. And there was no Facebook or Twitter back then, so hippies who saw their lifestyle being commodified could only yell at their TV sets. If they even had electricity.

In other advertising news, Nivea has pulled their “White Is Purity” campaign after it got hijacked by those impish alt-right fellows. Phrasing!

I think the message for corporations is clear: Never advertise anything in any way. Inevitably, someone on social media won’t like it and it’ll make the “news.” Better safe than sorry!