Big surprise, Pepsi pulled it's tone deaf "Live For Now" Ad starring socialite and reality personality Kendall Jenner in what
had to be an expensive production complete with an anthem "Lions” by Skip Marley,
large cast and several days of shooting, editing and revisions I'm sure. This
stuff doesn't just fall together without some effort and coordination. I
mention all of this because clearly A LOT of thought went into this production
that fell so very flat.
As an ad guy I can almost see the brief in my head:
Capture the passion and energy of the recent protests without any of the controversy.
Yeah right. Pepsi failed to realize in order to inspire true authentic passion on a topic like this you HAVE to pick a side.
Capture the passion and energy of the recent protests without any of the controversy.
Yeah right. Pepsi failed to realize in order to inspire true authentic passion on a topic like this you HAVE to pick a side.
YOU HAVE TO PICK A SIDE.
You
have to either risk being controversial in controversial times or stay out of
the CONVERSATION all together, you know... to reference their own ad.
Deciding whether to weigh in or not isn’t an easy decision. One
has to consider the tone of the message, try to calculate and project the impact not only
to sales but the brand’s image, which involves quit a bit of psychology. For
example how did Dr. Pepper deal with it? Oh you don’t know? Well that’s because
they decided to stay out of the discourse and I really don’t blame them because
after all they are a soft drink company.
Weighing in on politics when you’re a brand can have serious
implications to how you’re perceived and ultimately your bottom line. Just look
at Papa John’s Pizza and Applebee’s after making negative statements about what
they would do in reaction to Obamacare if it were passed. Marketplace brand
perception called "Buzz" (as calculated by YouGov BrandIndex) plummeted for both and other franchises.
Papa John’s fell from a
high of 32 to a score of 4 and Applebee’s fell from 35 to a low of 5. Read all about it in
this Forbes Article
But just look at the flip side. Michael Jordan, perhaps the
greatest baller that ever laced up on a court, until recently has stayed clear
of politics earning him criticism from fellow great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar who is pretty active. I have to admit I have an issue with Jordan also because he’s had a platform for years that’s
he’s chosen not to use until recently and although I’m not sure if that infamous quote “Republicans buy sneakers,
too” is real it’s clear the criticism Kareem launched at him “Commerce over
Conscience” is. I also don’t know if he was barred from making statements, from
PICKING A SIDE due to his contract with Nike but his brand has done well with a
healthy BrandIndex or Buzz Score even at those ridiculous price points for the shoes that bears his name. Yeah I said it. WHY PEPSI?
So why oh why would Pepsi decide to wade into these
unpredictable waters at this time? Well just look at the Super Bowl Ads this year. Brands all over are making
statements in this extraordinary time we’re living in. Budweiser had a great
immigrant narrative that drew protests from the right despite being a very American story.
If you asked me to develop an ad for Airbnb I would have probably shown people coming home from a night out or a day out only to reveal it wasn’t their home and they were instead staying a nice cozy and comfy Airbnb spot as they traveled. Instead, in a last minute reaction to Trump’s travel ban, Airbnb purchased a space just a week before the Super Bowl and the three founders, CEO Brian Chesky, chief product officer Joe Gebbia and chief technology officer Nathan Blecharczyk, edited the commercial themselves using footage they already filmed for their “Community Commitment” campaign. Risky not engaging your agency for something so highly charged as we see with this Pepsi debacle but the ad was perfection in it’s simplicity. By far my favorite of all the Super Bowl ads, a powerful statement of inclusion and everything Pepsi’s “Live For Now” ad tried to be and was not.
If you asked me to develop an ad for Airbnb I would have probably shown people coming home from a night out or a day out only to reveal it wasn’t their home and they were instead staying a nice cozy and comfy Airbnb spot as they traveled. Instead, in a last minute reaction to Trump’s travel ban, Airbnb purchased a space just a week before the Super Bowl and the three founders, CEO Brian Chesky, chief product officer Joe Gebbia and chief technology officer Nathan Blecharczyk, edited the commercial themselves using footage they already filmed for their “Community Commitment” campaign. Risky not engaging your agency for something so highly charged as we see with this Pepsi debacle but the ad was perfection in it’s simplicity. By far my favorite of all the Super Bowl ads, a powerful statement of inclusion and everything Pepsi’s “Live For Now” ad tried to be and was not.
So Pepsi probably thought they could just cash in on the
building momentum figuring the safest position to take is love
and peace. Not pick a side, toss in a celebrity and sit back while the spot
goes viral... without even attempting to understand what is really happening in
the country or driving the protests.
NOT A PARTY
NOT A PARTY
Honestly at first viewing I wasn’t that offended at the
laughable alternative reality presented. Maybe because I am already jaded and
really don’t expect much from corporations anyway. It’s only after researching
the elements of the ad that I was pissed off. Pepsi used the song Lions by Skip
Marley and completely ignored all the imagery in the accompanying music video
below. Now having worked in several ad agencies I know the videos aren’t always
presented when considering a song and I’m not suggesting Pepsi should have used
any of this imagery what I am saying is this video was a quick glimpse into the
deep issues they were about to be whitewash and trivialize. They ignored imagery of what REALLY happens during these protests. It's not a block party or parade where musicians join with guitars and people dance.
Pepsi’s lack of understanding is endemic of a larger and what feels like deliberate unwillingness to understand and empathize with the plight of a lot of Americans that gives rise to empty statements like All Lives Matter. Empty not because it’s not true, empty because if all those that use the term as a counter-statement truly believed it and lived it, there would be no need for the Black Lives Matter movement, we would all be treated fairly.
Pepsi’s lack of understanding is endemic of a larger and what feels like deliberate unwillingness to understand and empathize with the plight of a lot of Americans that gives rise to empty statements like All Lives Matter. Empty not because it’s not true, empty because if all those that use the term as a counter-statement truly believed it and lived it, there would be no need for the Black Lives Matter movement, we would all be treated fairly.
SAVE FACE QUICKLY
The Pepsi execs have a lot of thinking to do. Normally I would say the brand would be fine based on the public’s short memory and even shorter attention span but the combination of raw emotions, continued abuse and unwillingness to recognize said abuse may fuel a social media firestorm. Pepsi may have just become the poster-child for deliberate ignorance with respect to this topic. The Memes are already flying rampant.
Not good for them right ahead of the Summer Season in the US. They need to engage their PR Agencies and explore community outreach programs ASAP as the execs become FULLY familiar with the real issues. Personally I don’t see that happening, someone at Pepsi is bound to be caught on tape saying they don’t know what the big deal is about which would be their end.
Cynical? Yes I am, remember I’m jaded and I’ll eat but won’t pay my money for Pappa John’s, Chick-fil-A, Denny’s, won’t wear Tommy, Liz Clairborne for men, Reebok, Jordan's and just recently started shopping at Walmart again since they increased their pay, hey they have a decent home and bath selection.
That's my 2 cents...
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