Pepsi & Kendall: The Controversial Ad

"Live for Now" is an ironic name for an ad that had a life of only one day. The Pepsi commercial launched in 2017 and featured Kendall Jenner and the song "Lions" by Skip Marley. I was pulled to the ad for the same reason everyone else was, it's controversy.

The Pepsi commercial begins with different shots of a protest, along with glimpses of Kendal Jenner modeling in a blonde wig for a photo shoot nearby. The protest crowd is diverse and young with participants holding signs that read generalized call to actions such as "join the conversation".  As the protest marches by Kendall and her shoot, she makes eye contact with a young man and he nods for her to join. She strips off her wig, wipes off her lipstick and joins the crowd. She then grabs a Pepsi from an ice bucket and heads toward a line of police officers. She hands the Pepsi to one of the officers and he accepts cracks it and takes a drink. Kendal and the crowd go crazy with excitement over what seems to be an accomplishment of unity. The ad finishes by flashing "Live Bolder", "Live Louder", "Live For Now" across the screen.

Pepsi's main agenda with the "Live for Now" ad was to promote the global message of peace, unity, and understanding. But due to harsh criticism, the ad was pulled by the company a day after distribution. Soon after Pepsi pulled the ad they released a few statements one reading "We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout."  So what exactly were viewers so upset about? I'm sure if you've watched the ad or seen any of the backlash on it you have an idea.

People were mad about the controversial Pepsi ad for more than one reason. The general reason being that the ad seemed to trivialize or down play the reality of protests, police brutality, and the seriousness of major ongoing issues. A lot of people were upset that a white woman was the face of the seemingly diverse protest/ad. Some even thought the brand was using major issues to gain capital. But none of these are the most controversial reason for the backlash. Many compared the frame of Kendall Jenner approaching the police officers to a popular photo of a black woman named Ieshia Evans who stood strong while confronting a charging line of police officers in riot gear during the protest against police brutality in Baton Rouge. 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dA5Yq1DLSmQ

 Ieshia Evans, Baton Rogue (2016). Jonathan Bachman/Reuters 

The Pepsi advertisement, instead of reflecting the intended message, made it seem like that by drinking or holding a Pepsi, one could escape the victimization of police brutality or racism. Both Pepsi and Kendall Jenner have a platform and large influence in society. When you have such a great impact on the world you have to really think about the things you say especially in the public eye. I think Pepsi may have been blinded by their own positive agenda and did not consider what an outsider or people who are affected by these real world issues would think. If I had been the brand manager for Pepsi, I would have done a better job analyzing what all turnouts of the ad could have been. 

Questions:
(1) Do you think Pepsi made a major oversight not predicting the outcome of the "Live For Now" ad?
(2) Do you think Pepsi had the right agenda/intentions when making the ad?   

LISTENING TO THE BREAD

I'm here to talk about bread. And not just any bread, but "the best bread in the universe". Yep you guessed it, Dave's Killer Bread. People love this bread. If you don't believe me well here's the proof. From the opinions of 3,643 people, the company has a rating of 4.7 out of 5 on Facebook. Wendy Ramirez, a loyal customer and an active Facebook participant went as far as to say it is "the most soft, moist, delicious bread I've ever had!!!". I mean c'mon people she used three exclamation marks, the girl is not fibbing.

Dave's Killer Bread is non-GMO, organic, full of protein, fiber and whole grains, and doesn't contain anything artificial. I know it seems like I'm trying to sell you on this, but I've never actually had their bread. I'm just stating the facts. So, we know their bread is healthy and healthy is in, but what makes DKB remarkable?

One of the company's more popular slogans is "Buy a loaf, Change a life". Through its simplicity, this slogan reflects a much bigger agenda and some of the company's core values. DKB believes in second chance employment. They hire people with criminal backgrounds who are ready to change their lives for the better. They believe in second chances so much so that they created The DKB Foundation, which works to educate organizations on the importance of hiring this part of the population. 

http://www.daveskillerbread.com/secondchances#secondchances-1

A statistic from the DKB website reports that "a criminal record reduces the likelihood of a callback or a job offer by nearly 50%". So, as you can imagine getting others to see the value in giving second chances is no easy task. The company is risking a lot to stand up for something many others have unparalleled beliefs to. But do you become America's #1 organic bread brand by having the same ideas as everyone else? No.

http://www.daveskillerbread.com/secondchances#secondchances-1

People see the originality DKB brings to the market and agree with their call to action.Another Facebook review reads, "Thank you for supporting those who have done time. Good pay and steady employment can change everything". Here, we see an example of the recognition and support DKB receives from its customers. On this very review DKB replied, "AWESOME feedback Shannon, thanks for being such a killer fan!". This type of interaction is common with the company. Even with the occasional negative comment, DKB never fails to exude positivity and respect. What better way to market yourself, than with common decency and professionalism. Needless to say, with over 1 million followers, what DKB is doing works.

https://www.facebook.com/pg/DavesKillerBread/reviews/?ref=page_internal

Here is an example of that persistent optimism and gratitude:

 https://www.facebook.com/pg/DavesKillerBread/reviews/?ref=page_internal

Before, I did the research I had no idea what Dave's Killer Bread represented. Now that I'm aware, I couldn't be more impressed. Not to mention the company is based in Milwaukie, Oregon. I'm even more proud to be an Oregonian than I was before. I think DKB sets a perfect precedent for brand management.  According to an article by Forbes the company's "social presence grew by 15% in 2017 with posts on second chance employment consistently outperforming other topic areas". If this statistic doesn't convince you then I don't know what will. Alright, I'm going to go try some DKB now... 

"Marketing in the News"

TOPIC 2:

Ten plus ads fill the peripheral of the subject matter I'm interested in. It's ironic because I'm looking for an article regarding a marketing issue, and due to an overload of ads from third party entities, all I can think about is whether or not I qualify for an American Express card. However, the article from the ever so popular Forbes.com just happens to be interesting enough to pull me back to my agenda.

On September 26th, David Hessekiel published to the Forbes website the article "A Crazy Social Impact Experiment That Just Might Work To Unite Corporate Brands". I know, could the title be any longer... This article immediately caught my eye. Who does't love a good social experiment!?

Hessekiel begins the article by sharing his disappointment in thought-leaders who convey ideas of diminishing social issues without realistic solutions.  The rest of the article focuses on The Ad Council, a 75-year-old nonprofit organization who's main goal is to initiate action on significant social issues in hopes to make a measurable difference in society. The Ad Council partners with advertisement agencies and currently distributes to a network of 33,000 media outlets. Before, The Ad Council was funded solely by non-governmental organizations or federal agencies. However, Hessekiel reveals that the organization is modifying its structure.  In attempt to unify corporate competitors and tackle tough social issues, the council is calling together corporate alliances to fund and support individual campaigns. Hessekiel is confident that The Ad Council along with the collaboration of corporate entities will be able to conquer these issues.

Brands are beginning to realize the power and responsibility they have to create social change. Not only does attempting to solve social issues better society, but it shows the involvement of brands and is a marketing ploy in its own. For this reason partnering with The Ad Council is an attractive option for large corporations. The council's approach is unique in the sense that it's unifying major competitors in order to market its campaigns rather than pinning them against each other.

Personally, I'm intrigued to see what The Ad Council is able to accomplish with this new structure, and if I was them I wouldn't have done it any other way. What better way to actually make a change than through society's biggest influencers. This article has taught me that in order to get the results that have yet to be attainable, you have to be willing to try something that has never been done.   

About Me

Topic 1:

I was prompted to take BA223 principles of marketing this term because it is a prerequisite for my major. Not only is it a required course for me, but I have always had a curiosity for marketing. I think a class such as this can benefit everyone by giving insight on how the world operates and allowing students to develop skills they'll be able to utilize outside of the classroom. 

I am a finance and accounting major dual enrolled at OSU and LBCC. 

Through this marketing class I am most interested in learning how to sell myself. I want to be able convince organizations, whether it's a job or a school, that they want and need me. 

Outside of college, something I am passionate about is film. Film is kind of an armature hobby for me. I'm not tech savvy and I'm not necessarily into directing or anything like that. But I appreciate a good film. My favorite genres include independent films and documentaries. Within these next few years, I hope to attend the Sundance Film Festival, which is the largest independent film festival in the U.S.