“The fact that this somehow made it through – I can’t imagine how many meetings, and edits, and pitches, and then got the thumbs-up from who know’s how many people is absolutely mind-boggling,” enthusiastically explained Jimmy Kimmel about the ever so controversial Pepsi ad. The heated ad showed people holding signs like “Join The Conversation” in a mannerly protest. In the climactic scene, Kendall Jenner offers a police officer a can of Pepsi, who accepts with a grateful grin. For most, the ad too closely mimicked the Black Lives Matter movement and the tireless efforts of many. No surprise, the imagery imitation was not perceived well and the world echoed in anger. Bernice King, the daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, amongst many others, utilized their social media platforms to express the tone-deaf messaging of the ad:
“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark and apologize” Pepsi released in a statement. Way, way, missed the mark and the ad has been pulled. Along with the lack of social ethics in this ad, it also begs us to look at the dangers of in-house agencies. Pepsi probably did have people who were capable of doing the work, but they clearly were too close to the project to see the mistake about to be made. The trouble with in-house agencies is you loose the magic of differing perceptions, a well-rounded collaborative creative brainstorm – essentially someone on the outside looking in. BIG brands, such as Pepsi, are more likely to become too inward facing without the proper guidance from outside agencies that have their finger constantly on the pulse. Kimmel nailed it with his monologue, the fact this was approved is dumbfounding. But again, if you take away the outside preceptor, is it that surprising?