‘Fixed’ Pepsi ad features real protesters instead of Kendall Jenner
Pepsi had a bad week last week after releasing their new Pepsi ad featuring a protesting Kendall Jenner. This whitewashed view of activism did not go over well with people, who claimed that Pepsi was doing nothing but taking advantage of increased activism around the country while giving nothing back.
The ad was pulled, and Pepsi put forth an apology, but just one day after that, a production company called ThirtyRev released their own version of the commercial. This one focused on what the original should have: actual protesters.
“Hey @pepsi…don’t worry we fixed it for u,” they tweeted.
The ThirtyRev video used the same music Pepsi did, but instead of a model handing out cans of Pepsi to policemen, they used powerful footage of the water protectors at Standing Rock standing up in the face of intense police opposition.
— Pepsi stock surged during scandal, plunges after apology —
Hey @pepsi…don't worry we fixed it for u #NODAPL (only works on desktop) https://t.co/kMNoHnarLx
— THIRTYREV (@thirtyrev) April 6, 2017
Closer to the end of the ad, the Pepsi logo flashes with the words “Water Is Life.”
Joseph von Meding, a filmmaker at ThirtyRev, said the original Pepsi ad bothered him.
“It came across as a bunch of advertising execs using a 20- or 30-year-old advertising playbook with a sprinkling of those recent ‘cool protests’ thrown into the mix.”
According to the company, they strive to make films “that contribute towards making the world a safe, just and sustainable place.”
Below is the music that was removed from the tweet above. Play them together for the full effect.
