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,
BoninB. 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.
{ 26 comments… read them below or add one }
Just horrifying! Yes, they have crossed the line.
Terribly bad taste. It is actually disturbing to look at in my opinion.
Ok, I mentioned this to my husband, and he said two things, “does that mean there are actually zero calories in Pepsi Max? Because if there aren’t, the ad is deceptive.”
Leave it to him to make me laugh about something that inappropriate.
Wow, I hadn’t seen this. Makes me want to go buy a Coke. You’re right — some things are definitely inappropriate and this is one of them.
Crossing the line in a BIG WAY!!
I wholeheartedly agree about women controlling where the money is spent, and I believe we have an obligation to hold these companies accountable! Unfortunately, the only thing they really care about is their bottom line. If that suffers, they listen!
So, I say, let’s get to “talking”! I don’t know many companies who can stand to lose any customers in this current economy. It wouldn’t take a whole lot of us to make a HUGE impact.
And remember that PepsiCo owns KFC and Taco Bell, just to name a couple.
Another issue I find disturbing about them is that they are giving huge sums of money to support the homosexual agenda. They could choose to remain neutral on this issue, but instead, they’re choosing to wholeheartedly support it.
PepsiCo, you won’t be getting any of my money any time soon.
It makes me veer toward Coke, too. Do you think the ad was targeted toward those who would step over a dying man and paramedics to get to a tv sale. That was the lowest point of the decade for me.
I haven’t seen that ad, but find it distasteful to the max.
I agree, that is COMPLETELY inappropriate. Makes you wonder how these advertising companies come up with this crap. Don’t they test these ads on real people? Might be a good idea.
(Don’t want to start a controversial discussion, but I AM interested in what Heather means by the homosexual agenda? More people listening to Liza Minelli? More men using face products?)
Oh my goodness!!!
I’m a Coca-Cola girl anyway…
Steph
I wholeheartedly agree with you. Although I haven’t seen it. in younger years I worked a hotline for teens, and dealt with alot of those looking to suicide as the answer.
I find it unconscionable that they would think this is even remotely funny, or entertaining.
My family (sans me) are ardent Wild Cherry Pepsi drinkers. Looks like they will be getting a lesson in standing up for the right thing and speaking with our wallet starting tonight.
And I will speak through a letter to the management and marketing people at PepsiCo.
I’m no fan of the politically correct set, but there’s a difference between political correctness and compassion. Did no one at Pepsi stop to think about the families who’ve lost kids or other loved ones to suicide? How must they feel watching this?
I thought the whole Mortin thing was kind of silly but take this one much more seriously, because of the effects it can have on people already lost in grief.
Pretty uncool, Pepsi.
That is completely deplorable. Suicide is not a joking matter. Pepsi co. should be ashamed!
I don’t know anyone that was laughing when our friend in college committed suicide. No one.
It wasn’t funny to walk in on my friend drawing on her arms with a razor blade in high school.
There is NOTHING funny about suicide and Pepsi should be ashamed at this advertising campaign. I hadn’t seen the commercial since I almost never watch TV anymore but I have plenty of teenage cousins who I would not want seeing this kind of thing. Thanks for helping to bring attention to this.
Those ads are disgusting & disturbing! How can we let Pepsi know??
Damn it all. I heart my Pepsi products, but this, THIS, is too much. Maybe this will be the straw that breaks my caffiene habit.
By the way, I’m usually of the “suck it up” mentality too, but I can’t stomach this one.
Let me preface this to say that I’m a Coke Girl. Forever and always!
The PepsiCo ad is awful. It’s not even a good and informative ad. It’s not funny. And honestly it is not well executed (no pun intended).
Perhaps the vintage quality of the illustration is intended to keep it in the spirit of lightheartedness, but I just find it macabre and lacking any shred of relevance to the product. The product in question is a relatively new addition to their line-up, and I’m guessing they are going for younger consumers. It’s a certain miss for me. I find it vile and distasteful.
That’s awful!
I actually could almost point out the intended audience for that ad – smart-allacky people like my husband – but the potential negative fall-out from such a campaign is just so negative and so obvious that I can’t see how it ever got green-lighted.
I hadn’t see that ad until today. Truly, truly offensive. It does make me wonder about the people who thought that this was a good idea.
There is nothing creative about being vulgar and appealing to the basest part of humankind. To me the ads are vulgar.
Shame on Pepsi.
this is all very sad. what is worse, is that they, at pepsi, thought that this add WAS alright!! it is very sad that this is what our world has come too, using suicide as a way to sell something. all for the almighty dollar.
please Lord come!
I cannot believe what this world is coming to (well, actually I can, but still). Beyond bad taste… can’t even find the words. Sigh.
Whoa. I read your post before seeing the ads, then clicked on over. Not even your comments prepared me for what I saw. That is a seriously disturbing ad campaign. I am totally disgusted. And for people to defend it?! I can’t even form my thoughts on that one!
Did you hear from the folks at Pepsi yet? They’ve apparently been monitoring the response on Twitter. They actually sent a personal email referencing details of my tweet so I know it wasn’t a form letter. For that I must say I at least respect their willingness to admit what a terrible idea the ad was. The Director of Social and Emerging Media sent the letter apologizing which I thought was pretty amazing (though the ad content is still unforgivable).
Anyways, you can find them on Twitter as @boughb and @huwgilbert.
I think it is outstanding the number of companies that are realizing the value of monitoring and responding to people through Twitter…
I’m rather laid back on the norm — most of the time, I just say suck it up to people complaining. But this ad campaign pisses me off.
I read about it this morning and my first thought was that there is going to be a lonely teenager who sees this and thinks, “Yep. That’s me. I’m checking out.”
How dare the executives who worked on this ad campaign pitch this. Are they so freakin uncreative this was the best they could come up with?
I have a million ideas for a lonely calorie campaign that doesn’t include death. My goodness.
Ok. I thought everyone overreacted on the Motrin ad. I carried my son around in a sling and my back hurt for a year! But this Pepsi ad??? It’s just plain sick.
As a School Counselor, I find this absolutely irresponsible and disturbing. Suicide is not funny nor cool nor laughable. Suicide is by far the ugliest thing that can happen to a person. And for those who survive the person who completed or attempted the suicide, it is life-changing.
I am irate.
Inappropriate, in poor taste and totally offensive. It’s good that Pepsi responded but who let this campaign actually go into production? Here’s hoping they no longer have a job.