Update:
This afternoon while I was checking my e-mail I saw that I had a message directly from Pepsi:
Melanie,
I saw your tweet and I just wanted to make sure I responded personally.We agree this creative is totally inappropriate; we apologize and please know it won't run again.
My best friend committed suicide and this is a topic very close to my heart. My deepest apologies.
Feel free to follow-up via twitter to me - @boughb or Huw - @huwgilbert.
Thanks,
Bonin
B. Bonin Bough
Director, Social and Emerging Media
PepsiCo
700 Anderson Hill Road
Purchase, NY 10577
bonin.bough@pepsico.comI don't know if Mr. Bough was personally responsible for this (I doubt it considering his experience with suicide--my condolences are with anyone who has had suicide touch their lives--) or just left to clean up the mess. I appreciate that Pepsi is reaching out to bloggers and Twitterers to at least let us know we're being heard. I'm even more appreciative that the campaign is not being run any more.
Original post:
I'm pretty laid back. I laugh at inappropriate things. I say
inappropriate things sometimes. I certainly *think* inappropriate
things a lot. I also know inappropriate when I see it and Pepsi's new
ad campaign, featuring "one very, very, very lonely calorie" committing suicide, crosses the line of inappropriate into the abyss.
Just a few weeks ago we saw a Motrin ad that inaccurately portrayed
babywearing and that community was up in arms. They blogged, twittered,
and generally raised a fuss (rightfully so). The ad was eventually
taken down. Moms control about .80 of every dollar, you see, and if
they're angry they won't buy your product. Moms have power in the
marketplace. They're an important demographic. That particular Motrin
ad was marketed to moms and it backfired. You would have thought Pepsi
would have paid attention.
Who exactly is this ad targeted to? If it's teens, do we really want to showcase suicide as the viable option to feeling lonely? What teen doesn't feel a little emo now and then? Or maybe the target audience is those who want to lose a little weight by drinking the one-calorie soda? Because they definitely are the people that should see suicide as an out, especially if they're anorexic.
My outrage at the Pepsi ad isn't about being politically incorrect (I'm usually the first in line to say suck it up). There are some things that really are inappropriate. I would say using suicide to promote your low-cal drink is right up there. Of course, they do say the calorie is "very, very, very" lonely so I suppose that means the only out is suicide. If the poor little calorie was only "very, very" or even "very" lonely, he would just need some heavy-duty counseling.
Was the purpose of these ads to separate Pepsi from Coca-Cola as the edgier choice? Or was the purpose to create buzz and be mentioned on as many late-night TV shows as possible before ultimately pulling a campaign they new would never fly? My opinion is that the shock value of these ads is not something that would persuade me to buy this product. In fact, it's had the opposite effect. Pepsi has been my drink of choice as long as I can remember (that is, when I drink soda; those who know me know I'm a tea drinker usually). I even really like Pepsi Max. I haven't bought a Pepsi or Pepsi Max in quite a while. I'm not apt to do so any time soon.
In many of the comments about this ad campaign I see people suggesting Pepsi was bold enough to push the envelope. Others state we need to quit whining about it and volunteer for a hotline. Still others actually thought the ads were funny in a macabre way. To me that just illustrates how far we've lowered the bar on what's acceptable in this country.
(***)