The internet has been thrown into turmoil with the release of Pepsi’s new advert, featuring Kendall Jenner. The ad is said to be mocking of recent Black Lives Matter protests against police brutality across America.
Jenner can be seen leaving a photo shoot to join a protest where activists are carrying signs that read “love” and “join the conversation”.
She picks up a can of Pepsi and offers it to a police officer as a peace offering, to which the officer cracks a smile and the crowd cheers, apparently solving all the issues that the protest is against.
Twitter was of course less than impressed by the insensitive choice of advert, and as well as focusing on the likeliness of the advert to real stands against police, mocked the advert with satirical tweets about Black activism and anti-war protests.
UPDATE: Pepsi has now pulled the controversial ad from being aired and has halted all further promotional rollouts. The drinks company released a statement this afternoon stating: “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark, and we apologise. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologise for putting Kendall Jenner in this position.”