Abstract

This case study discusses US-based multinational food and beverage company PepsiCo’s protest themed advertisement for its carbonated soft drink Pepsi and its subsequent withdrawal. Pepsi’s campaign titled ‘Live for now – Moments’ was launched on April 4, 2017 (Tuesday), in an attempt to portray Pepsi as a millennial friendly brand. The protest themed ad showed 21-year-old super model Kendall Jenner participating in a photo shoot and then joining up with protestors and approaching a cop with a can of Pepsi soda. But, Pepsi had to pull this advertisement in less than 48 hours, following withering criticism stating that it was co-opting protest movements, such as Black Lives Matter (BLM), for commercial gain. The case analyzes several loopholes in Pepsi’s communication process and explains how the company failed in designing an effective communication strategy to promote the brand, not giving due importance to the changing market scenario. The case explores the steps taken by Pepsi post the ad crisis and facilitates a critical discussion on Pepsi’s decision to pull the new heavy-budget ad campaign. The campaign placed Pepsi in a tight spot. Will the company manage to extricate itself from this controversy or will the Kendall Jenner ad fiasco dampen its sales for years to come?

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• Appraise the changing ‘marketing communications environment’
• Analyze the process of developing effective communications, especially ‘Designing the communications’
• Debate the merits and demerits of celebrity endorsements
• Assess how to manage a crisis situation

Keywords

Integrated Marketing Communications,Celebrity endorsements,Advertising,Pepsi,Sales Promotion,Crisis Management,Ad Campaign,Kendall Jenner Ad,Marketing Communications Environment,Celebrity Endorsement,Brand Crisis,Effective Communications,Designing the Communication