People are going in hard on Pepsi’s new protest-themed advert
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- Alex Finnis
- Published

Pepsi are being heavily criticised for their new advert in which Kendall Jenner essentially turns a protest march into a party by giving a police officer a can of the fizzy drink.
They are being accused of trying to profit off the resistance movement and making light of the type of protests in which black Americans are often subjected to police brutality – while using a rich, white, famous model as the ‘saviour’ of the march.
The two-and-a-half-minute video shows Kendall on a fashion shoot while protesters go by outside holding banners reading things like ‘Join the conversation’, before she joins the march and marches through the crowd to give a police officer a can of Pepsi.
The officer then cracks the can open and smiles as the crowd breaks into huge cheers and starts dancing.
People on Twitter have gone in hard on Pepsi and Jenner for the tone deaf ad:
"Kendall please! Give him a Pepsi!" pic.twitter.com/IntFNmCpTr
— Zito (@_Zeets) April 4, 2017
"Kendall please! Give him a Pepsi!" pic.twitter.com/pO1PTYkCHW
— Antonio (@antonioscastles) April 5, 2017
When the Pepsi can is steaming hot but u have 2 deliver it to the police b4 it cools down
— Young Black King 👑♠ (@pyepar) April 5, 2017
😂😂😂😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/YfSBs54pa9
When she thinks the can of Pepsi is going to stop you from pepper spraying the nearest person of color pic.twitter.com/XMDfg8s02G
— Zito (@_Zeets) April 4, 2017
So... I guess my country needs more than a #Pepsi. #Venezuela #PepsiCommercial pic.twitter.com/rNaB9ho2Ng
— Gabriela B. (@ccstolax) April 5, 2017
so many adults had to fuck up in so many unique and equally tone deaf ways to make this awful ad, it's honestly breathtaking https://t.co/j7BdoVw0cC
— kevin shark (@boynamedshark) April 4, 2017
"I've been to the mountaintop, there's a Pepsi machine" pic.twitter.com/40vV6HjeEF
— Charles J. Moore (@charles270) April 4, 2017
Imagine putting your life on the line like this to fight for justice only to have it parodied by a soda company and a Kardashian pic.twitter.com/g55s09owVf
— Jamilah Lemieux (@JamilahLemieux) April 4, 2017
me: I'll have a coke
— Sophia Benoit (@1followernodad) April 4, 2017
waitress : is Pepsi ok?
me: oh I'm actually already not racist but thank you
pepsi released that ad like pic.twitter.com/2jkHYZuD1S
— audrey-wan kenobi 👑 (@hipstrparamedic) April 4, 2017
Pepsi responded to the criticism in a statement: “This is a global ad that reflects people from different walks of life coming together in a spirit of harmony.
“We think that's an important message to convey.”
Kendall Jenner is yet to respond.