Last week, Pepsi released what it excitedly called a “short film” featuring protest imagery, Kendall Jenner, and a can of soda as a literal quell to the threat of police violence. Not surprisingly, consumers did not take kindly to the ad, calling it tone-deaf at best — and at worst, as Stephen Colbert put it, an appropriation to the effect of creating the idea that “attractive lives matter.” It was pulled after 24 hours with an official apology from Pepsi.
So here now, SNL has the much-need behind-the-scenes look at how such a misguided ad came to be: In the sketch, cast member Beck Bennett plays the ad’s writer and director, who in a series of phone calls, tries to find someone who will affirm that his vision is “like, the best ad ever” and not, as one loved one points out, “using [other cultures] to sell soda.” Another advises him that the spot’s allusions to the Black Lives Matter movement make the plot “insane to touch.” Bennett-as-director admits to the person on the phone, “Yeah. Right” — and then of course, goes on to shoot the commercial anyway. Watch the spoof above.
• Pepsi Commercial (SNL) [YouTube]
• What the Hell Is This New Pepsi Ad [Update: It’s Been Removed] [E]
• Watch Stephen Colbert Rip That Dumb Pepsi Ad to Shreds [E]
