Comments on: A Response From Pepsi

By: Mheald

Mheald — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 20:58:15 +0000

Have y’all seen the Levi’s ads? I think they illustrate a great example of what Danyell’s getting at – that companies run things online that they wouldn’t elsewhere.

By: Danyell

Danyell — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 20:31:45 +0000

I need to also note here that there are now a lot of companies who put out shocking viral image ads on the web that they could never get away with in other media and then denounce them after the fact.

This way they get to put the images out there and take no responsibility for them.

I mean, how does a spec image “accidentally” get online? Gimme a break.

By: Lucas

Lucas — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 11:42:30 +0000

Many legit advertising journals are running the ad with the belief that Pepsi authorized it. Can’t Pepsi have it pulled if it did not?

By: SunlessNick

SunlessNick — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 10:20:20 +0000

As for the ad itself . . . I think that this whole thing has been a rather interesting if not particularly surprising experiment in rape apologism ... The complaint from every single one of these people was not that the ad was illegitimate, but that there was nothing wrong with it. - Cara

This reminds me of what Sara B said in the original thread: The people who are defending this ad really seem to have put a lot of thought into why it isn’t implying sexual violation. My guess is this reflects on how they approach sex in life- pushing and negotiating the limits of what they can “get away with,” ... and one commentator at Renee's Womanist Musings post insistently referring to the ad as a "child kissing a sleeping adult" (with of course the requisite incredulity that this might be compared to a sexual assault). All in all, a desperate search for technicalities as to why this time doesn't count. Which is foundation of all rape apologism: they maintain their sense of righteousness (and deniability) by theoretically recognising that sexual assault is wrong; they just have an intricate set of exceptions and permissions to explain why this time it's not really sexual assault. And a large enough set that, to quote Ashley, "somehow, every time is this time."

By: Dani

Dani — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 23:03:01 +0000

I don’t know how the ad could have run in France: the lettering is clearly in English. And, er, I’d just like to be the one to say Pepsi may or may not be sexist, but they’re certainly anti-union, unconcerned about the health risks of their products and a myriad of other nasty corporate things. But that’s just my opinion. Pffft.

By: verify

verify — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 21:16:27 +0000

A rep I contacted said it was approved by Pepsi to run in France. I’ll see if I can convince her to e-mail you.

By: Cara

Cara — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:57:23 +0000

Because that’s the agency that created it? The fact that it’s on that site is only evidence that the ad agency let it get out there; not that Pepsi has run it.

By: verify

verify — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 20:54:30 +0000

How does Pepsi explain this?

http://www.advertolog.com/paedia/prints/2008/10/11/205103/

CLM BBDO is a large and well established ad agency that has handled other ad campaigns for Pepsi.

By: Rape Culture In Unexpected Places: New Pepsi Ad : The Curvature

Rape Culture In Unexpected Places: New Pepsi Ad : The Curvature — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 19:27:12 +0000

[...] IMPORTANT UPDATE: Pepsi has responded by denying and denouncing the ad. Please see this post. [...]