Pepsi recently announced supermodel Kendall Jenner as the new face of their brand (opens in new tab), and in celebration decided to produce a commercial in which she solves police brutality with a can of soda. As you might expect, the internet was not thrilled (opens in new tab):
me: I'll have a coke waitress : is Pepsi ok?me: oh I'm actually already not racist but thank youApril 4, 2017
Umm @pepsi ???? #pepsi #you #got #some #splainin #to #do pic.twitter.com/MtE8gllvSjApril 4, 2017
Obviously, there are some major issues with a commercial company like Pepsi co-opting a social movement for monetary gain. And the idea that all it takes to stop police brutality is one white lady with a can of soda is deeply offensive for a myriad of reasons. So, what did Pepsi have to say regarding the issue? Their statement (opens in new tab) follows, and they're certainly not apologizing:
"This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony, and we think that's an important message to convey."
Watch the controversial commercial below:
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