Pepsi Uses 'Black Lives Matter' To Hawk Its Soda Pop

07-Apr-2017 - USA

PepsiCo Inc.'s new ad featuring model Kendall Jenner has sparked anger and met with widespread criticism, with the soft drinks giant being accused of appropriating a racial protest movement to sell its fizzy soda brand.

Pepsi has been accused of exploiting the Black Lives Matter movement, a nationwide protest movement following police shootings of African Americans. The movement campaigns against violence and perceived systemic racism toward black people.

The "Live for Now Moments" video ad released Tuesday shows Jenner in the middle of a photo shoot when she notices a protest march making its way down the street. Jenner takes off her wig, wipes away her lipstick and joins the protesters.

Jenner reaches the front-line of the protest and eventually hands a police officer a can of Pepsi. He takes a sip and and Jenner's fellow protesters erupt in cheers.

The final scene in the ad resembles the iconic photo of Ieshia Evans, a mother and nurse from New York, peacefully confronting a line of heavily armed riot police during a "Black Lives Matter" protest in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

The photo of Evans is said to be one of the defining images that captures the spirit of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The Pepsi ad has come under intense criticism on social media.

"The Pepsi commercial shows us that capitalism will steal our lives and then find multiple ways to make a profit of our death," one comment on Twitter read.

But Pepsi has defended the ad, saying its 'Live for Now' moments ad "features 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," Pepsi said in a statement.

The Pepsi commercial, titled "Jump In," was produced by the company's in-house content creation arm, Creators League Studio. It features music from Skip Marley. (dpa)

https://www.yumda.com/en/news/1151043/pepsi-uses-black-lives-matter-to-hawk-its-soda-pop.html