Pepsi removed the infamous spot with Kendall Jenner

Less than 24 hours ago Pepsi has given life to a giant controversy because of its misstep due to its new criticized advertising with the 21-years-old Kendall Jenner. The spot shows the model during a fashion shooting interrupted by what appears to be a pacifist demonstration. After a sudden transcendent moment, Kendall Jenner walks off the set and, after a magic change of clothes, she joins the protesters who are walking in the streets of the city. The peak of the spot is the moment when the model fearless approaches a cop who is blocking the march and gives him a can of Pepsi as a gesture of peace. And they lived happily ever after but... no.

In few minutes the spot was only able to diminish and (badly) exploit years and years of social and cultural fights, appropriating in the worst way of the recent global activism

What was supposed to be an advertising with a strong unity and solidarity message – as the company stated by saying that "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" –, is becoming a shitstorm of severe criticism against Pepsi. In fact, people didn't appreciate the new company advertising, accused of exploiting the recent protests for human rights to merely promote its own product. If the Pepsi's purpose was to "pay a tribute" to the rebellion and the desire to fight for an equal world that the majority of population was sharing, well, maybe it did something wrong because people didn't understand. And I don't blame them.  

In few hours social have been covered with polemics and harsh tweets against the spot, including the inevitable memes to make it ridiculous, and even a proposal for boycotting every product branded Pepsi. Some people also noticed that the scene in which Kendall Jenner goes in front of the policeman is a clear reference to the Ieshia Evans's brave act during protests in Baton Rouge, but obviously made it ridiculous and "carefree" because of the offering of a can of Pepsi. "If only daddy would have known about the power of Pepsi", Martin Luther King's daughter said with irony on Twitter. Conclusions? Some hours ago Pepsi removed the advertising of contention, claiming officially that 

"Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologise. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue". 

Maybe it's the right end for an advertising who wanted, even in good faith, to use the imaginary of the recent protests who have taken place around the world just for commercial purposes. In the last year only the United States, and not only there, have had several public protests – the most famous those of Black Lives Matter movement and the Women's March of last January – to increase awareness of media and public opinion about black and women rights and, in particular, the recent measures of the Trump government.  So, Pepsi's advertising understimated the historic moment to release a spot of this type: on the one hand, it wanted to reflect promptly the social dynamics of this time, on the other hand, it gave a steretyped and "milky" image of those public demonstrations, turning them into a ridiculous parody. 

In few minutes the spot was only able to diminish and (badly) exploit years and years of social and cultural fights, appropriating in the worst way of the recent global activism. Rather than a peaceful and harmony message, Pepsi has confirmed once again that publicity can be ethically blind for its commercial purposes. But this time, people did not remain silent, but has reacted to change the course of events just like the protagonists of the infamous spot. It is ironic, right?