UPDATE: Pepsi has removed the ad; see their statement below.
Pepsi's ad showing reality show personality and lipgloss mogul Kendall Jenner defusing tension between police and protesters by handing a cop a Pepsi seems to have impressed exactly no one.
MORE:
Now Rev. Bernice King, the daughter of slain civil rights hero Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., has cleared things up in case anyone was still wondering how to feel about it.
Pepsi describes the piece thusly:
"A short film about the moments when we decide to let go, choose to act, follow our passion and nothing holds us back. Capturing the spirit and actions of those people that jump in to every moment and featuring multiple lives, stories and emotional connections that show passion, joy, unbound and uninhibited moments. No matter the occasion, big or small, these are the moments that make us feel alive."
The response was swift. "Tone deaf" was one of the more common responses. Here's some commentary:
This response on Pepsi's YouTube channel sort of summed things up: "Why is this ad still up? Do they not see the majority are appalled by this stupidity?"
Here it is (until Pepsi grasps the PR disaster it's wrought and takes it down)
Pepsi took down its ad about an hour after Rev. Bernice King's tweet and issued this statement:
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