By now, you’ve probably watched Pepsi’s cringe-inducing (and short-lived) new ad featuring Kendall Jenner — and if not, The Washington Post’s Elahe Izadi broke it down so you don’t have to.
In a statement to Teen Vogue on Tuesday, Pepsi at first defended the commercial as depicting “various groups of people embracing a spontaneous moment … to live life unbounded, unfiltered and uninhibited.”
But on Wednesday, Pepsi reversed course, announcing it was pulling the ad and putting a stop to the campaign.
“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” the company said in a statement. “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.”
By then, it was too late. The Internet had already embraced its own “spontaneous moment” — by uniting to take Pepsi to task with some ferocious memes.
Some highlighted serious moments from real protests …
… from the civil rights movement to the present — sarcastically suggesting everything could have been different if only protesters had had a Pepsi.
"Yo Kendall, im gonna need you to come through with a pepsi, these cops are wildin" pic.twitter.com/dOpKnTq8LU
— Tunde (@ignant_) April 5, 2017
"Kendall please! Give him a Pepsi!" pic.twitter.com/IntFNmCpTr
— Zito (@_Zeets) April 4, 2017
Even Bernice King, daughter of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King, chimed in.
If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi. pic.twitter.com/FA6JPrY72V
— Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 5, 2017
The police officer’s facial expressions at the end of the commercial got special attention.
when you get a free pepsi but remember you still get to use the tear gas for no reason anyway pic.twitter.com/WQjNQYBTjp
— BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL (@edsbs) April 5, 2017
When she thinks the can of Pepsi is going to stop you from pepper spraying the nearest person of color pic.twitter.com/XMDfg8s02G
— Zito (@_Zeets) April 4, 2017
Pepsi had the power to change song lyrics.
Others imagined alternate Pepsi ad campaigns and slogans.
Nevertheless, she Pepsisted. pic.twitter.com/53e6rxLS50
— Matt Negrin, HOST OF HARDBALL AT 7PM ON MSNBC (@MattNegrin) April 4, 2017
Pepsi: Obviously the missing keystone to resolving complicated geopolitical conflicts and achieving world peace.
And finally, The Post’s Gene Park noted this was not the first time Pepsi has made a marketing misstep.
Pepsi has always been on the wrong side of history pic.twitter.com/JZxR05Drpk
— Gene Park (@GenePark) April 5, 2017
This post has been updated.
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