Pepsi pulled an advertisement the day after its release which featured reality star Kendall Jenner handing a can of Pepsi to a riot officer at a fictional protest. The ad was criticized for trivializing the issue of police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement.
“Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding,” the company said in a public statement. “Clearly, we missed the mark and apologize.”
Elle Hearns, an organizer of the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Bernice King, both criticized the ad for being off the mark.
“If only daddy had known about the power of Pepsi,” tweeted King with a photo of her father, Martin Luther King Jr., being forcefully pushed back by a Mississippi State Trooper.
Hearns told media the advertisement had no basis in reality.
“No one is finding joy from Pepsi at a protest,” Hearns told The New York Times. “That’s just not the reality of our lives. That’s not what it looks like to take bold action.”
