This media ethics case study will analyze a commercial advertisement by food, snack, and beverage corporation, PepsiCo, Inc., featuring television personality and model, Kendall Jenner. The commercial was set around a peaceful protest, in which Jenner joined in and offered a Pepsi as a peace offering to a police officer. By applying the TARES Test, which is a method for analyzing the truthfulness, authenticity, respectfulness, equity, and social responsibility in persuasive messages, this commercial will be analyzed to see if PepsiCo was ethically representing peaceful protests, such as Black Lives Matter. In addition, the philosophical principle, Kant’s categorical imperative, will be used to further analyze the ethics of this case study. Kant’s categorical imperative can be defined as “the notion that it is in the act itself, rather than the person who acts, where moral force resides” (Patterson, Wilkins & Painter, 2019, p.11). A final analysis about the ethical nature of this ad can be made by answering these three questions:

1. Do you think Pepsi should have screened their ad to test groups before releasing it to the public?

2. Would the commercial have gotten a different reaction if Kendall Jenner was replaced by an unknown actress? Why or why not?

3. The saying goes that any publicity is good publicity. Do you think it was Pepsi’s intention to cause a controversy? Explain.