Pepsico's Controversial Advertising

632 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Coca cola corporate image

Global soft drink giant, PepsiCo, is a brand that needs no introduction. Headed by Chief Executive Officer Indra Nooyi, PepsiCo is a food and beverage company with total profits in 2017 of $10,789 million (PepsiCo, 2017a) and an ever-present ranking on the esteemed Fortune 100 list (Fortune, 2017). In April 2017, PepsiCo collaborated with model and social media mogul Kendell Jenner, which resulted in the release of controversial advertisement. The commercial went viral upon being released and was deemed so insensitive, it was axed the following day due to the severe backlash it received (The Sydney Morning Herald [TSMH], 2017). The two-and-a-half-minute commercial is filled with trivialising imagery throughout the nondescript photoshoot and …show more content…

The BLM movement is a collectivist subculture that works to raise awareness of systematic social prejudices faced by African Americans to enact change and to encourage relevant conversation (Ashburn-Nardo, Thomas, & Robinson, 2017). Given the recent activism in America, how could PepsiCo possibly think that a celebrity with a can of soda could resolve issues as entrenched as these? It is insulting yet typical of a capitalistic economy, where profit maximisation will always be the primary objective (Horrigan, 2002). Unsurprisingly, the inauthentic scene was highly criticised for hijacking, oversimplifying and undermining important social and cultural issues, instead of acting as a vehicle for enabling and encouraging positive …show more content…

Yet, Taylor (2017), highlights that not everyone despised the beverage behemoths attempt at bridging the divide and found that in fact, 44% of survey respondents saw PepsiCo more favourably after watching the commercial, though, he does agree the message encoding was poorly executed. Therefore, the online hype was not necessarily a true reflection of how the general population received the advertisement. Although, in an effort to protect the brand and market share and realising they had “missed the mark”, PepsiCo pulled the advertisement within 24 hours of its launch (PepsiCo,

Show More
Related

  • Pepsi and Heineken Commercials: Promoting American Devotion and Compassion

    930 Words  | 2 Pages

    Try to visualize a slim blonde at the ripe age of nineteen coming in closer and closer on the television screen. She’s wearing a tube top and hip hugger jeans with a belly ring that reads “Pepsi.” She slowly spins around, grabs a can of Pepsi and drinks it in slow motion while her diamond bracelet glistens in the lights. The music stops. She turns to the camera, smiles, winks at you, and tells you to go out and try a nice cool refreshing can of Pepsi Cola. The next commercial to come on shows a man sitting down on the couch with his girlfriend s...

    Read More

  • Most Successful Gatorade Advertising Campaigns

    711 Words  | 2 Pages

    It was amazing how Gatorade uses the image to speak the message to the audience. There was a limited amount of word choice because the image itself did most of the talking. The message is established by the athletic model, specific choice of colors and the typography. Also Gatorade uses Ethos and Logos to attract the buyer’s attention. These appeals are successful rhetorical tools that urge the consumer to drink Gatorade. By using these elements, they bring together an advertisement that convinces readers to drink Gatorade if they want to stay hydrated and

    Read More

  • Persuasive Essay On Coke Vs Pepsi

    824 Words  | 2 Pages

    Pepsi by all means, will not hesitate to when promoting their products and in fact, Pepsi has been spending over one billion dollars on advertisements, gaining thirty-four millions Facebook likes and two million Twitter followers (O’Brien. "Coca Cola vs. Pepsi: Comparing Sales, Earnings & More"). They also sponsor some of the famous American sports for instance, NFL (national football league), the NHL (national hockey league), and just recently, they have also replaced Coke, as a NBA sponsor (national basketball league) who was a major sponsor for two years in a row (Alesci, Rooney). Pepsi has a huge impact of today's generation and will not balk at anything to come to the

    Read More

  • Mountain Dew

    1153 Words  | 3 Pages

    This ad does a very good job of accomplishing PepsiCo’s brand communications strategy. It is exciting and exhilarating and shows the personality traits of fun, irreverence and daring.

    Read More

  • Soft Drink Industry Porter's Five Forces Analysis:

    1671 Words  | 4 Pages

    Brand Image / Loyalty: Coke and Pepsi have a long history of heavy advertising and this has earned them huge amount of...

    Read More

  • Kendall Jenner Pepsi Commercial Controversy

    1136 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Summary: The Civil Right Movement Vs. Civil Rights Movement

    1145 Words  | 3 Pages

    BLM does not want to replicate the mistakes of the past black rights movement, and acknowledges that all black lives matter equally—from the idealized Ayesha Curry to the sexually liberated woman, disabled and trans-individuals, to the person living in the “hood.” In addition, social media discussions such as #Icanbeboth are pushing against respectability politics, by challenging notions that black women can only exist on separate sides of the respectability continuum, as a housewife or a “thot.” I believe these conversations, highlighting the versatility of black bodies, are finally happening in the black community as a result of BLM inclusiveness and push for acceptance of diversity. Although I favor the BLM, I am slightly concerned about the movement’s goals and vision for some reasons highlighted by Jelani Cobb. Is BLM a movement mostly occurring on the internet? How can the current movement make tangible progress with public policy? These are questions that will be answered with time. For now, I am grateful that this movement is opening the eyes of the American public—no we do not live in a post-racial society and a lot of work needs to be

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Pepsi's Scary Halloween

    1046 Words  | 3 Pages

    Most people are thinking about Halloween in October so the time for publishing the ad fits perfectly. The ad was largely seen on social media helped this ad cross country borders into the United States. Pepsi’s Belgium Facebook page is more than likely the first place the ad was published, so it makes sense that most of the debate between to two soft drink supporters were done online. A Belgium blogging company, called Opusfidelis wrote, “The ad went viral within a few hours of being posted to the Pepsi Belgium Facebook page, getting thousands of shares and spreading to Twitter, Google+, and Reddit like wildfire” (2013). The ad reached this viral status on social media because the Coca-Cola supporters felt the Pepsi can was improved by wearing a Coca-Cola cloak where the Pepsi side felt the opposite. There was so much talk between the two sides about the “Scary Pepsi” ad that Coca-Cola even gave an unofficial response back. In Coca-Cola’s version of the ad, the original text that read, “We wish you a scary Halloween” was changed to “Everyone wants to be a hero!” Now the red cloak that was seen as a funny play on words before, now looked like a red cape. Transforming the Pepsi into a superior product, Coca-Cola, this unofficial response provided further fuel to the fire between the two camps and became the Coca-Cola supporter’s rallying cry. Both Coca-Cola

    Read More

  • Business Analysis: Pepsico And Apple

    717 Words  | 2 Pages

    As we all should know, PepsiCo is one of the world’s leader in convenient food and beverages. PepsiCo shares are traded worldwide and particularly in NYSE (United States). PepsiCo is in the same line with Coca cola and Cadbury Schweppes as the dominating beverage companies. PepsiCo has successfully built a great brand name rivaling with coca cola, probably because PepsiCo unlike coca cola has its own bottling companies. With a competitive strategy based on differentiation rather than cost leadership like its fellow competitors PepsiCo invests highly in new packaging, flavors, formulas to outsmart their competition. Founded in 1919, producing a variety of sweet and grain-based snacks, carbonated and non-carbonated

    Read More

  • Pepsi Blue Case Study

    1473 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since neither of the products created the measurable sales and market share increase Pepsi needed, PepsiCo International (PCI) executives conceived of a plan to create a new tagline and re-brand all existing Pepsi products, signage, advertising materials and in-store display units. The executives envisioned a simultaneous, global campaign that would create stronger brand equity and resonance in the consumer consciousness.

    Read More

  • Urban Youth: Sprite's Advertising Campaign

    481 Words  | 1 Pages

    Everyone loves a soda now and then, and some take it a bit further with the decades-long feud of Pepsi vs. Coke. One brand that stands out marketing wise is Sprite. In recent years the company has crafted itself more of an urban persona, marketing almost exclusively to urban youth, especially black youth. Even more recently their ads have been self-aware, sarcastic, and borderline nonsensical in an attempt to appeal to the media savvy youth of today. However, whether they like it or not, Sprite’s unique marketing strategy has and will continue to work.

    Read More

  • PepsiCo's marketing

    662 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thanks to my fascination with PepsiCo and partly because this is an assignment, I went online and search for some of PepsiCo’s most successful and ongoing marketing campaigns and strategies. During my research I noticed several daring marketing strategies Pepsi employed throughout the years. For example, gaining the support of Michael Jackson in the 1980’s and latest gaining the endorsement of global pop star Beyoncé.

    Read More

  • Comparison Of Coca-Cola Vs Pepsi

    1007 Words  | 3 Pages

    Pepsi was introduced in 1893 by Caleb Bradham as “Brads Drink” which then was renamed to “Pepsi Cola” in 1898. There wasn’t many options for advertising in this era due television not being introduced into households till the late 1900’s. One of the first Pepsi Cola advertisements was a black and while flyer that had a few characters laughing and read “Whoope!!! Zoom!! Drink Pepsi-Cola” at an advertisement from Pepsi, the have bright blue, red, and white colors that pop and are eye catching. Comparing this ad with a current ad and modern technology, you can see that Pepsi’s marketing and advertising techniques have come a long way. Reviewing a recent Pepsi advertisement, you can see that they have made groundbreaking changes to their branding techniques. First I will I will note that their choices in colors (red, blue, and white) for their brand are not only eye popping, but in a way symbolize the colors of America. I am not sure if this was their intent but it sure does standout. Next, there slogan in the ad states “Help Kick Off The Pepsi Super Bowl Halftime Show”, this ad targets a very large group people because its directly relating to one of the biggest sports event which is Super

    Read More

  • Advertisement: An Illusion

    1403 Words  | 3 Pages

    The advert alongside is simple and straight to the point. It contains very few details but extremely large content by the choice of words and graphics. At a glance, one can know, without reading the text, what the advertisement is all about. The advertiser has used a cartoon image as opposed to a real person image in the advertisement. This however does not mean that the advert is meant for kids or people who love cartoons. This step is always taken to reduce detail and avoid viewers over dwelling on unnecessary aspects of the advertisement. The setting is also plain. The background has no more information. The advertiser’s has employed the use of this strategy to ensure that the viewer does not miss-associate the advertisement.

    Read More

  • Case Study Of Pepsico

    1986 Words  | 4 Pages

    Price and advertising strategy: PepsiCo Overhauls Statergy. PepsiCo plans on saving 1.5 billion dollars in...

    Read More

More about Pepsico's Controversial Advertising

Open Document