Pepsi’s Intended Message & The Context of the Advertisement
Before examining the backlash, it is important to understand what Pepsi was attempting to communicate through the advertisement. Released in April 2017, the commercial presents a series of young people from different backgrounds gathering together in what appears to be a peaceful protest. Throughout the advertisement, signs display broad slogans such as "Join the Conversation" and "Love," while music, dancing, and smiling protesters create an atmosphere of optimism and unity. The commercial reaches its climax when Kendall Jenner leaves a fashion photoshoot, joins the march, and hands a can of Pepsi to a police officer. The officer smiles, the crowd erupts in celebration, and the apparent conflict is peacefully resolved. Pepsi's intended message was one of togetherness. An attempted illustration that moments of division could be overcome through shared experiences.
However, advertisements do not exist outside of their historical context. When the commercial was released, the United States was experiencing heightened political and social tension following the 2016 presidential election. Demonstrations surrounding police violence, racial injustice, immigration, and women's rights had become increasingly visible across the country. In particular, the Black Lives Matter movement had brought sustained national attention to the deaths of Black Americans at the hands of police. Images of protesters confronting law enforcement had become deeply recognizable in both traditional and social media. At the same time, events such as the Women's March and protests against the administration's travel ban reflected a broader culture of political mobilization. Protest imagery was not simply symbolic. It represented ongoing struggles that many people viewed as matters of life, death, and fundamental rights.
Within this context, Pepsi's use of protest imagery carried meaning beyond what the company may have intended. Rather than seeing a generic message of unity, many viewers interpreted the advertisement through the lens of the political moment in which it appeared. The commercial's suggestion that a can of Pepsi could dissolve tensions between protesters and police echoed widely circulated photographs of real demonstrations, most notably the image of activist Ieshia Evans standing peacefully before heavily armed police officers during a 2016 protest in Baton Rouge. By borrowing visual language that audiences associated with real social movements while removing the conflict that gave those images their significance, Pepsi unintentionally created space for audiences to assign their own interpretations. Understanding this context is essential because it reveals how corporate messaging interacted with a politically charged cultural moment.
Capitalism as Resolution
One of the most striking aspects of the advertisement is the role assigned to Kendall Jenner. Rather than simply appearing as a celebrity endorsement, Jenner is positioned as a mediator between two opposing sides. The commercial begins with her leaving behind a glamorous fashion photoshoot to join a protest, symbolically crossing from the world of celebrity into the world of political activism. She then walks to the front of the crowd, approaches a line of police officers, and hands one of them a can of Pepsi. The officer accepts it, smiles, and the conflict appears to dissolve instantly. In this narrative, Jenner is presented as the individual capable of restoring harmony, transforming a moment of confrontation into one of celebration.
The symbolism of that role became a central point of criticism. Jenner was not known for political activism, nor was she someone directly connected to the social movements whose imagery the advertisement borrowed. Instead, she entered the scene as one of the world's wealthiest and most recognizable celebrities. Many viewers questioned the decision to position a wealthy white woman as the figure capable of resolving tensions rooted in systemic injustice. In doing so, the advertisement appeared to place someone largely removed from those lived experiences at the center of a story that drew heavily from movements led by marginalized communities.
Equally significant is what ultimately resolves the conflict. Not dialogue, policy, or collective action, but a consumer product. The advertisement suggests that the act of sharing a Pepsi is enough to bridge the divide between protesters and police, reducing complex social and political struggles to a simple act of consumption. In this sense, the commercial not only uses protest imagery as a backdrop, it also positions capitalism itself as the mechanism through which conflict can be overcome. Pepsi is no longer just a beverage. It has been positioned as a symbol of social change.
Taken together, these elements help explain why the advertisement resonated so negatively with many viewers. The controversy was not simply about Kendall Jenner's involvement or the use of protest imagery in isolation. Rather, it was the combination of these choices, the selection of a wealthy celebrity as the mediator and a branded consumer product as the solution, that led many audiences to view the campaign as trivializing real social movements. Whether or not this was Pepsi's intention, these symbolic choices shaped how the advertisement was interpreted and ultimately contributed to the loss of corporate control over its message.
Lasting Legacy of the Pepsi Advertisement
Perhaps the clearest indication that audiences ultimately controlled the meaning of Pepsi's advertisement is the way it has been remembered. Most controversial advertisements eventually fade from public memory once they are withdrawn, but the Kendall Jenner campaign followed a different trajectory. Rather than disappearing, it became a cultural reference point that continues to symbolize the trivialization of social justice movements through corporate branding. Years after the advertisement was removed, its original message of unity has largely been forgotten, replaced by the interpretation that emerged through public criticism and online discourse.
This transformation is perhaps best illustrated by The Boys. Known for its satire of corporate power, celebrity culture, and performative activism, the series recreated Pepsi's commercial almost shot-for-shot through a fictional advertisement featuring the superhero A-Train. The parody exaggerates the original premise, suggesting that a branded consumer product can resolve deeply rooted social tensions, exposing the absurdity that many viewers believed was already present in Pepsi's campaign. Importantly, the joke only works because audiences immediately recognize the reference. The advertisement had become so firmly embedded in popular culture that it no longer required explanation.
The parody also demonstrates how the advertisement's meaning evolved beyond Pepsi's control. The series draws on the interpretation that audiences collectively produced in 2017 rather than the narrative Pepsi originally attempted to communicate. The advertisement's lasting legacy, therefore, is not the commercial itself but the meaning that audiences assigned to it. Its continued use as shorthand for tone-deaf corporate messaging illustrates how viral controversies can permanently reshape the cultural identity of an advertisement long after it has disappeared from television screens.