By Kaelyn DiGiamarino “So we should just give Putin & Assad & Trump a can of Pepsi & everything will be fine?” This Tweet serves as just one example of a fearless consumer who was unafraid to express his sarcastic discontent with a brand. Consumers understand when a brand’s image does not match the values set forth and as a result, are left confused and disappointed in the company. Crises in corporations largely affect consumers’ trust in the organization, and thus their loyalty to the brand itself. In early April, PepsiCo released a two-minute commercial spot featuring Kendall Jenner. It sparked immediate controversy because it appeared that the company was belittling the United States’ political differences. Pepsi pulled its commercial from YouTube within 24 hours of being published. The commercial begins with snapshots of a violinist, a photographer, and a crowd of protesters. Each character is frustrated, and ultimately joins together in the protest. The camera then reveals Kendall in the midst of a photo shoot, intently modeling and unfazed by the protesters passing by. It is not until the violinist walks by and nods his head to her that she decides to dismiss the photoshoot to join the march. The commercial shifts to a celebratory mood as Kendall immerses herself into the crowd and hands a Pepsi to a police officer, thus resolving the unspecified conflict. Criticism of the Pepsi commercial was wide-reaching, with an overall consumer opinion that it was tone-deaf, belittling, and ignorant. The commercial brought to the screen complex issues such as police brutality, LGBTQ+ rights, and ethnic, religious, and foreign community coexistence with an air of simplicity. Similar to how one can extend an olive branch as a symbol of peace, the Pepsi can passed from the hands of Kendall Jenner to the police officer initiated reconciliation between the parties. In that way, it appeared that Pepsi was offering its product as a quick fix to American differences. The Pepsi beverage has few distinguishable attributes from its cola competitors. Thus, its consumers’ purchasing behaviors are highly dependent on them choosing to identify with the Pepsi brand more than they identify with the competitor’s brand. As a brand, Pepsi tends to follow culture rather than lead it. Rather than curate content that becomes the reason people begin buzzing about a topic, Pepsi synthesizes preexisting pop culture icons into its content. Pepsi cast Kendall Jenner as the celebrity protagonist for its commercial. However, it is not the appearance of Kendall Jenner that brought criticism, but rather the appearance of a celebrity figure. The commercial addresses current political topics relevant to average American citizens. To convey a message that appeals to the average citizen, there needs to be an average person cast as the protagonist. Pepsi’s commercial portrays an image of a misrepresented population looking for their voices to be heard through protest. Adding a celebrity to the cast created a disconnect because Kendall Jenner is not underprivileged, and the resulting dissonance left consumers confused about the PepsiCo brand and decreased, rather than increased, brand identity and trust. This sense of tunnel vision resulted in the creation of content that produced intense backlash. Marketing Week conducted a poll of marketing professionals and found that 42% of marketers feel that their company brands fail to reflect a contemporary, racially-diverse, society in their marketing and advertising. This inability to produce culturally sensitive content could be a result of the disconnect between desired brand identity, and actual brand reputation. Pepsi missed the mark because it failed in seeing how its consumers actually perceived its brand.
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