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  • PEPSI HAS PULLED AN AD FEATURING KENDALL JENNER.

  • AFTER JUST ONE DAY, THERE WAS SO MUCH CRITICISM TOWARDS THIS PEPSI AD THAT THEY DECIDED-OKAY, MAYBE THIS WASN'T A GOOD IDEA, WE SHOULD GET RID OF IT.

  • SO, WHY WAS IT SO CONTROVERSIAL

  • WELL, APPARENTLY, IT FEATURED KENDALL JENNER AT A PROTEST THAT LOOKED A LOT LIKE A BLACK LIVES MATTER PROTEST, AND IT REALLY MINIMIZED WHAT THE BLACK LIVES MATTER MOVEMENT WAS, AND IT ESSENTIALLY ENDED WITH HER GIVING A PEPSI TO A COP, AND THEN EVERYONE IS DANCING AND HAVING A GREAT TIME.

  • THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS IN PROTESTS ALL THE TIME.

  • ALL THE TIME, PEOPLE ARE LIKE, ALL RIGHT, LET'S BRING OUT THE PEPSI, LET'S GIVE, YOU KNOW, SODA TO THE COPS, EVERYTHING WILL BE GREAT.

  • THE AD... SHOWS ATTRACTIVE PEOPLE HOLDING MILQUETOAST SIGNS WITH NONSPECIFIC PLEAS LIKE "JOIN THE CONVERSATION".

  • THE PROTESTERS ARE UNIFORMLY SMILING, CLAPPING, HUGGING AND HIGH-FIVING.

  • IN THE AD'S CLIMACTIC SCENE, A POLICE OFFICER ACCEPTS A CAN OF PEPSI FROM KENDALL JENNER... SETTING OFF A RAUCOUS APPROVAL FROM THE PROTESTERS AND AN APPRECIATIVE GRIN FROM THE OFFICER.

  • SO, ALL RIGHT, HERE'S WHAT DOESN'T HAPPEN AT PROTESTS.

  • THE WHOLE THING WAS SO AWKWARD AND STRANGE, AND YES IT MINIMIZED BLACK LIVES MATTER, AND PROTESTS IN GENERAL.

  • PEOPLE ARE VERY BLEAKLY ACTIVE RIGHT NOW, THEY ARE FRUSTRATED, THEY WANT TO AIR THEIR GRIEVANCES, AND EVEN OTHERS A SENSE OF COMMUNITY AND PEOPLE ARE HAVING A GOOD TIME, THEY ARE UPSET AND FRUSTRATED AT THE CURRENT SYSTEM.

  • THEY ARE ACTUALLY RESISTING, AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE COPS DO WITH THEM?

  • THEY DON'T SHARE A SOFT RINK WITH THEM, THEY OFTEN BEAT THEM, SHOOT TEARGAS CANISTERS, SOMETIMES RUBBER BULLETS.

  • UP IN NORTH DAKOTA, THERE'S NOBODY SHARING ANYTHING EXCEPT SIGNIFICANT VIOLENCE WITH THE PROTESTERS, AND IT WAS THE COPS DOING IT.

  • IT'S LIKE, THIS IMAGE OF THIS REALITY STAR, SHE IS ONE OF THE KARDASHIANS.

  • SHE IS ALSO A MODEL.

  • I GET IT, BUT SHE IS PART OF THE KARDASHIAN CLAN.

  • AND THEN HER, THIS WHITE, GORGEOUS GIRL WHO IS A REALITY STAR, GOING UP TO THE COPS, AND THE COPS BEING LIKE, OKAY, THEN I'M SUPER INTO IT.

  • WHEREAS IN REAL LIFE, LIKE THAT PICTURE THERE, WHICH IS AN ICONIC PHOTO OF AISHA EVANS, YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED

  • THEY DID NOT SHARE A DRINK, THEY ARRESTED HER BECAUSE SHE WAS RESISTING.

  • THAT IS AN AMAZING PICTURE OF COURAGE, AND WHEN SHE WENT UP TO THEM NOBODY WAS GRINNING, AND NOBODY GOT FIST BUMPED.

  • SHE WAS TAKEN INTO CUSTODY.

  • SO THAT'S ACTUALLY WHAT HAPPENS.

  • IT'S SUCH AN APPETIZER THING TO PUT A SIGN THAT SAYS JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

  • NOBODY IN A PROTEST TO WHERE THEY ARE ENRAGED AT POLICE ABUSE GOES IN AND GOES, HEY COPS, JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

  • YEAH, IT'S CRAZY, BUT FOR ME, HONESTLY, ONE OF THE MOST STRANGE PARTS OF THE AD WAS LIKE, THE FIRST, IT FELT LIKE 30.

  • SECONDS, IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LONGER, IT FELT LIKE AN ATTORNEY, WHERE THEY ARE JUST SHOWING KENDALL JENNER -LIKE, WATCHING THE PROTESTERS, BUT SHE'S ALSO POSING IN A MODEL-ESQUE WAY AS SHE'S WATCHING.

  • THE VIDEO STARTS WITH HER BEING BLIND, WHICH I DON'T GET THE SIGNIFICANCE OF.

  • I'M GOING TO BE HER, BECAUSE THE VIDEO HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF.

  • AND IT JUST SORT OF STARTS WITH HER LIKE THIS.

  • SOUNDS PRETTY GOOD ACTUALLY, RIGHT NOW.

  • I KNOW, IT'S JUST LIKE, WHAT IS SHE DOING

  • ARE YOU GOING TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION

  • AND THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE'S LIKE, I DO WANT TO JOIN THE CONVERSATION, AND HER MESSY BLONDE BOB, SHE TAKES IT OFF, AND ALL OF A SUDDEN SHE'S A BRUNETTE AND SHE'S LIKE, PEPSI, YEAH, LET ME GIVE YOU A PEPSI.

  • MAYBE THERE'S SYMBOLISM THERE I DON'T UNDERSTAND, BUT IT'S ALL STRANGE.

  • THE ONLY SYMBOLISM THEY MEANT, AND THIS WAS PROMOTED BEFORE THE CONTROVERSY, WAS THAT THEY WANTED TO COMPARE HER WITH CINDY CRAWFORD, BECAUSE CINDY CRAWFORD WAS A DAVIS MODEL, AND BACK IN 1992 SHE DID A FAMOUS PEPSI AD, AND KENDALL JENNER TWEETED ABOUT THAT.

  • I FOUND THAT TO BE APPROPRIATE SYMBOLISM, BECAUSE ADVERTISERS ARE STUCK IN 1992.

  • THEY STILL THINK, EVERY PEOPLE LOVE MODELS.

  • OH, BLACK PEOPLE AND ALL THE PEOPLE PROTESTING TRUMP,

  • THEY ARE GOING TO LOVE KENDALL JENNER, THEY ARE GOING TO THINK

  • SHE'S THE NEW MODEL AND THEY ARE GOING TO WANT TO DRINK PEPSI.

  • YOU ARE STUCK IN 1952, IT DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY.

  • THIS SCREAMS OFF ñ

  • THIS SCREEN IS INAUTHENTIC, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY CAN'T GET PAST.

  • HAVING SAID ALL THAT, I WANT TO DO A LIKE DEFENSE OF IT.

  • MY DEFENSE OF IT IS, AT LEAST THEY ACKNOWLEDGE WHAT'S

  • HAPPENING IN THE COUNTRY, AND THAT THERE IS RESISTANCE, AND IN

  • ORDER TO TRY AND SELL PRODUCTS TO MILLENNIAL'S, TO THE YOUNGER

  • GENERATION, WHAT THEY ARE DOING IS, IT WAS A BAD ATTEMPT, BUT IT

  • WAS AT LEAST AN ATTEMPT TO REACH MILLENNIALS IN A LANGUAGE THAT

  • THEY THOUGHT THEY COULD UNDERSTAND, WHICH IS, WE KNOW

  • YOU ARE PISSED AT THE GOVERNMENT AND AT THE ESTABLISHMENT,

  • WE KNOW YOU ARE IN FAVOR OF PROTESTS AND RESISTANCE, ETC.,

  • AND THEY WERE TRYING TO REACH OUT TO THEM.

  • AND THE AD WAS VERY MULTIRACIAL, SO I LIKE HOW INCLUSIVE IT WAS.

  • WAS DONE IN A SUPER HAM-HANDED WAY, BECAUSE THEY CAN'T

  • HELP THEMSELVES, BECAUSE ALMOST ALL ADVERTISING EXECUTIVES

  • GOT FROZEN IN TIME IN 1955.

  • SO THEY TRIED TO GO IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, BUT THEY TRIED

  • TO DO IT IN A SAFE WAY.

  • JUST JOIN THE CONVERSATION.

  • DON'T WANT TO OFFEND ANYONE.

  • BUT HAVING SAID THAT, IT IS A SIGN OF THE TIMES THAT THEY AT

  • LEAST TRIED THIS AD.

  • THEY TRIED IT, BUT I THINK THIS IS GOING TO HAVE UNINTENDED

  • CONSEQUENCES FOR INNOCENT BYSTANDERS, AND WHAT I MEAN BY

  • THAT IS, ADVERTISERS ARE SO AFRAID OF ANYTHING POLITICAL,

  • AND IN THIS CASE THEY TRIED SOMETHING, AND IT CAME BACK AND

  • BIT THEM IN THE ASS.

  • THAT'S WHAT I'M KIND OF CONCERNED ABOUT.

  • I THINK THERE IS A RIGHT WAY TO ENGAGE AUDIENCES WITH POLITICAL

  • CONTENT, OR POLITICAL PROGRAMMING, AND NOT OFFEND

  • PEOPLE OR GET UNDER PEOPLE'S SKIN.

  • THAT'S A FAIR POINT, BUT I WILL SAY THIS, I THINK THAT

  • EVENTUALLY THEY ARE FINALLY GOING TO SNAP OUT OF IT.

  • I LOOK AT IT FROM AN OPTIMISTIC LENS, THAT THEY ARE GOING

  • TO REALIZE, IT'S NOT 1955,

  • WE CAN'T KEEP DOING MILQUETOAST AND THINK WE ARE GOING TO GET

  • 100% OF THE COUNTRY, IT JUST DOESN'T WORK THAT WAY ANYMORE.

  • AND WHAT THEY ARE GOING TO DO IS THEY ARE GOING TO GO IN A

  • COMPLETELY DIFFERENT DIRECTION, WHERE THEY ARE BOLD AND

  • THEY TAKE CHANCES, AND THEY EXCITE PEOPLE.

  • FOR EXAMPLE, VICKS DID AN AD IN INDIA, WHICH WAS SO POWERFUL,

  • THEY WERE TELLING A STORY ABOUT A MOM WHO TURNED OUT TO BE

  • TRANSGENDER, DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW POWERFUL IT IS?

  • THAT'S A CORPORATION TAKING A BIG CHANCE IN A MARKET LIKE

  • INDIA.

  • AND THAT PEOPLE GO, I LIKE THAT, NOW I'D LIKE VICKS -

  • VIDEO BUFFERING ñ

  • AND NOT HAVE POSTERS THAT THEY JOIN THE CONVERSATION, AND

  • THEY ARE ACTUALLY GOING TO TALK TO PEOPLE ON THE GROUND WHO

  • ACTUALLY ARE PART OF THIS, BECAUSE THEY DON'T HAVE A

  • CHOICE.

  • BECAUSE WHETHER THEY LIKE IT OR NOT, MILLENNIALS ARE THIS

  • PROGRESSIVE, THIS IS WHO MILLENNIALS ARE.

  • I GOT A MESSAGE FOR YOU, THE RIGHT WAY TO REACH THEM IS TO DO

  • IT IN AN AUTHENTIC WAY, NOT A SAFE, BS, INAUTHENTIC WAY.

PEPSI HAS PULLED AN AD FEATURING KENDALL JENNER.

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