I told myself last week that I was not going to chime in on the Kendall Jenner Pepsi debacle. After all so many others had jumped on this brown fizzy sugar water disaster it didn't seem like there was anything to add.
Then again, I thought, it's Thursday, I've exhausted my supply of odd iPhone photo's and Trump memes, why not?
I think we can all agree, the three minute film was three minutes too long.
Though it was shot well, with plenty of production value, it was wrong. I did find it amusing that some of my colleagues who found fault in the film were so willing to lay the blame on advertising's current social pariahs -- white men.
Conveniently ignoring the fact that the ad was created, written and produced by Pepsi's in-house Creative League. Here's a link to their Instagram page.
If that's not the picture of diversity, I don't know what is.
There were other issues as well. Shooting the spot in Thailand to avoid paying Americans residuals. Cultural appropriation. Even the protest signage sparked some offense.
I'd remind these folks that little Syrian children lost their lives last week because of an ancient 1300 year old rift between one group of fairy tale believers (the Shia) and another group of fairy tale believers (the Sunni.) Maybe this isn't the best time to empty the I-Take-Offense Vault.
That said, my biggest issue with this ad comes down to the Smell Test.
It fails.
As do many ads these days that are so detached from the real world one has to wonder, "What the fuck were they thinking?"
Thanks to Bob Hoffman we know what they were thinking:
OK, Chief.
Here's a thought. Can we put a stop to all this aspirational marketing manure and the round the bend contrivances?
I like a toaster oven that toasts my bread, not one that empowers the breakfast.
I like a car that feels comfortable and has some giddy up, not one that dares me to dare greatly.
I like a tortilla chip that tastes good, not one that enhances my shareable moments with like-minded tortilla chip lovers.
Freud (and you young kids can look him up) put it best, "Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar."
4 comments:
I'll buy anything a celebrity tells me to... celebrities are famous!!!
“I did find it amusing that some of my colleagues who found fault in the film were so willing to lay the blame on advertising's current social pariahs -- white men. Conveniently ignoring the fact that the ad was created, written and produced by Pepsi's in-house Creative League. Here's a link to their Instagram page.”
https://www.instagram.com/explore/locations/1743407409273560
You are aware that just because there are black and brown people featured on that Pepsico Creators League Studio Instagram page, that doesn’t mean they actually WORK there, right? That there are black people, artists, musicians and visitors simply visiting the studio on that Instagram feed, and you seem to be confusing many of them with staff or paid contributors.
The credits for the Pepsi campaign (before Pepsi panicked and removed them) are pretty clear. This was a Picture Farm production, driven by Picture Farm creative in conjunction with an entirely white team at Creators League. If anyone ethnic worked on it, they apparently weren’t important or integral enough for Pepsico to credit them. When an (admittedly) tabloid publication in the UK looked at the individual credits, they found that “ALL those credited are white.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/team-behind-controversial-pepsi-ad-10169148
Advertising Agency: Creators League / Pepsico
Brand Director: Allison Sipes
Chief Marketing Officer: Kristin Patrick
Creative Direction: Pete Kasko
Director: Michael Bernard
Executive Producer: Ally Polly
Production: Picture Farm
Producers: Ben Freedman and Stefania Consarino, Picture Farm
Director of Photography: Bjorn Charpentier
Editorial: Pete Kasko’s Moondog Films
Look deeper,
I looked deeper.
And I think it's safe to say that when Brad Jakemen left the agency world because he couldn't find enough diversity, he staffed his new Creator League with plenty of diversity.
Plus, the CEO is a woman of color. And the CMO is a woman. So the white male blame game is not valid here.
That's not to say it isn't evident elsewhere.
But not with regards to this Major Turd.
Can we all just chill the fuck out about this commercial already? I'm sorry - yes it was completely tone-deaf but we are talking about a soft drink. It's literally just high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavoring, and carbonated water in a can. Why should we expect anything more from them? Who cares? Just because Pepsi's disingenuous bullshit didn't pass the smell test does it really make them any worse than other equally disingenuous companies that are slightly better at playing to the current atmosphere of righteous indignation and cultural guilt? At the end of the day it's all bullshit anyways. Let's not kid ourselves and think that any of these companies shareholders actually give a fuck about anyone other than themselves. It's just business... lets not take it personally.
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