User:Nromash13/New sandbox

History
The topic of police brutality is a discouraging talking point for many people and many of them had a dishonest view of both law enforcement as well the justice system. A national poll taken a year before this advertisement came out stated that over 45% of citizens found police brutality to be a serious issue. This issue is not a new one too as back in 1992, Rodney King was a victim of police brutality and it sparked outraged all across the city of L.A. making it a chaotic scene. The Black Lives Matter movement was started in 2015 to protest not just disparity of treatment of African-American citizens but as well as how the police treated them. Many victims to police brutality such as Michael Brown, George Floyd, and many more were killed by police furthering the resentment towards them from the African-American community. These incidents make any normal situation between a cop and a citizen more tense and drastically changes their dynamic

Reaction[edit]
The advertisement was pulled by the company one day after its distribution due to criticism. The response to the ad's release has been described as "instant condemnation" of the PepsiCo brand. The company released a statement, saying:"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."The advertisement's creators have been widely criticized on social media and by media outlets for attempting to capitalize on imagery imitating protests in the Black Lives Matter movement, including Taking a Stand in Baton Rouge, the iconic image of a woman, named Iesha Evans, who approached heavily armed police alone and was arrested in a Baton Rouge protest in July 2016. Researchers of branding and marketing have observed the identity politics aspect of the spot depicted by the marching masses, but questioned the credibility of subverting the police towards a "melting pot" model. Many schools teaching marketing are teaching students to try to be more diverse in not just thought but as well as inclusion. Due to this new way of thinking corporations are using virtue signaling now as a means to take a stance and support their consumer. Advertisements are increasingly becoming a beacon for taking social stances that consumers have. There is a term that perfectly exemplifies the type of rhetorical situation Pepsi put themselves in which is called Kairos. This term describes how a writer or entity is essentially trying to relate to a period or stealing culture or movement for their own gain by appropriating it. Bernice King, daughter of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr, remarked, "If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi". Initially, Pepsi stated, "This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey". Ironically by playing identity politics and wanting to be inclusive they left out audiences who share a more conservative viewpoint and are all other the world. By trying to be inclusive they were actually be exclusive. Instead of uniting the world for peace and harmony Pepsi united everyone to be against them and their company. Google searches for over a year after this advertisement came out, were exclusively about Kendall Jenner and the advertisement itself. According to marketing expert Mike Jackson, part of the problem was that Pepsi did not have a history of promoting social justice causes. Pepsi has a history of always trying to appeal to the youth with slogans like "Catch that Pepsi Lifestyle" or "Come Alive. You're in the Pepsi Generation". The reason for creating this ad was to focus on the millennial group and younger by displaying the youth and it was ultimately them who voiced their dissatisfaction over social media. Many twitter users would post pictures from the civil rights movement tagging Pepsi and saying how if only they had a Pepsi. For example one of these twitter users by the name of Taryn Finley voiced their displeasure by posting a picture of a protestor from the civil rights movement being arrested by a police officer. She stated that Kendall Jenner handing a Pepsi to any cop would solve all issues regarding police brutality. Furthermore, Kendall Jenner does not have a reputation of being a social activist. They made her the focal point of this activist movement and yet she is a white multi-millionaire. To some African-American who are more likely affected by police brutalities view law enforcement as a symbol of white power trying to keep them down and creates a sense of mistrust between the two groups due to media framing.

Entertainment Weekly called the ad “a tone-deaf attempt to co-opt a movement of political resistance”. Many current activists spoke out on Twitter in response to the advertisement, collectively expressing that it depicts an unrealistic situation that is opposite of the real-world protesting experience. Specifically, users said that the ad minimized the seriousness of danger and frustration felt during police-brutality protests. The advertisement depicts a protest to police brutality and yet everyone smiling, laughing, and dancing while looking super clean and marching on pristine clean streets. Police protests are generally a tense and can be violent situation for protestors participating in. DeRay Mckesson went on NBC to voice his displeasure with the fact of how Pepsi made light of a hot-topic issue that is not something anyone can take lightly.

See also[edit]

 * 2017 in American television
 * Mountain Dew goat commercials

References[edit]

 * 1) ^ Jump up to:a b c
 * 2) ^
 * 3) ^ Jump up to:a b c d e
 * 4) ^
 * 5) ^
 * 6) ^ Jump up to:a b
 * 7) ^ Jump up to:a b c
 * 8) ^
 * 9) ^
 * 10) ^
 * 11) ^
 * 12) ^
 * 13) ^
 * 14) ^
 * 15) ^
 * 16) ^
 * 17) ^
 * 18) ^
 * 19) ^