Pepsi have announced that they are pulling their latest advertisement, featuring lesser Kardashian clan member Kendall Jenner, after it sparked a wave of backlash upon its launch yesterday.
The ad, which features Jenner abandoning a photo shoot so she can join a protest, was widely criticised for a shot towards the end where Jenner hands an ice cold can of Pepsi to a police officer, mending the rift between cops and protesters. The general response was that this made light of recent protests by black Americans against police brutality.
The ad was also accused of using the aesthetics and attention around protests against Trump for commercial purposes.
Pepsi pulled the ad and announced they would not be proceeding with the campaign in a statement:
Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark and we apologise. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologise for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.
Kendall Jenner was the first model since Cindy Crawford to have her own global Pepsi campaign since 1992. She hasn’t made her own statement on the brouhaha as of yet.
Source: Variety.
Photo: Pepsi.
