Kendall Jenner Pepsi Commercial Controversy

Kendall Jenner Pepsi Commercial Controversy

Television personality and American model, Kendall Jenner recently starred in a commercial for Pepsi (Pepsi, 2017). Kendall Jenner was a good choice for this commercial because it causes viewers to think that if a celebrity is drinking Pepsi, maybe they should as well. This commercial unfortunately received a tremendous amount of backlash due to viewers perceiving it as offensive, and inappropriate. This commercial was flagged almost immediately after being released, as many people claimed it showed a situation similar to the Black Lives Matter protests going on at that time. When many people viewed this commercial, they saw Kendall Jenner take a part in a protest which was going on in the street.

To these viewers, this protest seemed to place a bad image on police officers as they were handed a Pepsi from Kendall Jenner as what appeared to be a peace offering. I, however, had a different take on this commercial as I watched it for the first time. After watching this commercial, I did not take offense, but I did feel as if Pepsi was trying to portray a different message to Americans. I saw a message in which Pepsi was attempting to tell Americans that everyone needs to peacefully coexist, despite their differences.
The commercial begins with a birds-eye view of a large city while playing the song Lions by Skip Marley. The song gives a feeling of power to the video from the start. As the video zooms in, it shows a large group of people walking down the street together while many are holding signs which show messages of peace and love. Each person in the crowd is marching together in which seems to be a peaceful protest as an effort to bring people together.
The commercial shows two scenarios, one in which a man is playing a cello, and a woman looking through pictures she has taken. The man looks outside to see the march that is going on. As he takes a drink of Pepsi, he takes a break from practicing to go become a part in the march himself. It appears that the Pepsi caused the man to agree with the people on the street regarding their fight for peace. The woman is struggling with her pictures as she crosses through them and crumples them up. She is frustrated until she also looks outside to see the people. The woman makes this an opportunity to capture more pictures, so she rushes outside to capture what is going on. This peace that Pepsi seems to create amongst all the people, may also a new beginning for her as a struggling photographer. There are many other performers working together on the side of the street. Some people are playing music for others, some are dancing, but all are working together to work on a more peaceful environment.
The crowd catches Kendall Jenner’s interest as she is doing a photo shoot on the side of the road. The cello player passes her and persuades her to join their movement. Kendall takes her blonde wig off to reveal her brown hair as she steps into the crowd of minorities. Kendall’s brown hair now makes her appear to be a minority as well.
After stepping into the crowd, Kendall grabs a Pepsi as everyone smiles as her and claps.

The video shows police officers standing at the end of the road where the protesters are. Kendall takes the Pepsi and hands it to one of the police officers. This appears to be a peace offering between the police officers and the protesters. This is a powerful part of the commercial because this is the moment when the civilians are making peace with the police officers. Since this was a time when the Black Lives Matter protests were happening, this commercial shows some similarities to the protests, but Pepsi attempts to make peace between everyone who was involved with the issues going on at this time. Instead of police officers being portrayed as the “bad guys”, and the minority groups fighting and revolting, they were now making peace. Pepsi not only showed that everyone was making peace with one another, but they were also showing that Pepsi may have been the cause of this. There was variety among every person throughout the entire commercial. The group of protesters included hundreds of people with different race, religion, color, gender, and sexual orientation. Pepsi showed that these people were ending the hate amongst different people no matter what they looked like, or who they were. Pepsi brought each and every person together despite their differences. This commercial relates to Ethos because it convinces the viewers that Pepsi may be what it takes to make the

country become united once again.
When Kendall Jenner handed the Pepsi to the police officer, he was accepting and seemed appreciative.

The crowd cheers because they know that Kendall was attempting to bring peace between the cops and the protesters with the gift of a Pepsi. After taking a drink, it appeared that the Pepsi make him reconsider the protest that was happening, and he realized as well that everyone should end the fighting and make an attempt to get along with one another. This part of the commercial shows a strong appeal to Pathos, as it makes viewers emotional watching the bond being created between the protesters and the police officers. This part of the commercial was the most powerful to me because it shows how far a small act of kindness can go, such as giving someone a Pepsi. Kendall’s small act of kindness not only makes peace with the police officers, but also shows an attempt to unite all citizens again despite all the hate that was taking place in the real world around

us.
The end of this commercial says “live bolder” and “live louder”. To me, this shows a strong connection with the video because the protesters are trying to speak up for what they believe in. These people are protesting as an attempt for peace between all people despite any one of their differences. Although this commercial caused loads of controversy when it was released, I truly believe Pepsi was advertising this as an attempt to end the hatred that was taking place in this country at the time. Many people viewed this as being strikingly similar to the Black Lives Matter protests, but I viewed an attempt to protest something greater, and more peaceful than what was taking place at the time. After watching the commercial I only found that Pepsi was attempting to lessen the hatred happening among all the citizens of this country, and they made a strong attempt to make peace again in this country.

References
(2017, April 04). Retrieved February 03, 2018, from https://youtu.be/dA5Yq1DLSmQ