A piece of advertisement that was unforgettable for me was the Pepsi ad that occurred in 2017 with Kendall Jenner as the model to promote the company. At first glance, the ad displays Jenner taking part in a protest and handing a can of Pepsi to a police officer. After she gives the drink to the police officer, the crowd is seen cheering, giving off the message that Jenner brought everyone together. In a sense, she saved the day by handing the drink to the officer. Clearly, the ad is very controversial because it belittles the issue of activism as well as the act of protesting when the Black Lives Matter movement was still prevalent in the media. Many were offended and felt disrespected about the ad because it did not take into account how many people have been protesting their issues for a significant amount of time. In this specific ad, racial injustice is an ongoing problem in today’s society and little is done to resolve it. As a person of color, this ad is still offensive not only to the African American community but to other minorities who are continuing to fight for their rights. Yes, this ad is targeted directly to African Americans because of their conflict with the police and the many times where injustice is served. Some were convinced that the image of Jenner approaching the officer was referencing an image of the Black Lives Matter movement which was of Ieshia Evans being detained at a Baton Rouge protest. The ad has created more tensions for activists because it undermines the purpose of protesting. Pepsi has since released a statement that discusses how the company was trying to send a “global message of unity, peace and understanding”, explaining that they meant no harm or disrespect to those fighting for justice (Pepsi Twitter). The message conveyed is that the protests that are occurring can have a good outcome and in the context of this ad that Pepsi can “save the day”. Obviously, the company did not realize how much backlash they would face after airing this ad. This is insensitive to them for not being aware of the current state of our country’s politics and how their intentions would be misunderstood. During a time where advertising companies need to be more cautious about the message they want to deliver to the public, the timing of this ad was not thought out well.

Although I have not experienced the trauma that many of these individuals have faced, I can understand the amount of pain they have felt. To a degree, I relate to them about losing someone who holds importance in their lives as a result, allowing them to bring attention to their cause. The act of bringing more awareness to the issue and why it deserves more recognition is the reason why many including myself are drawn to protest to create change. By inspiring change to occur, it allows the individual to feel proud that they were able to have that opportunity to rise up and call out the issues.