Controversial ads seem abundant lately. It looks like companies are testing the waters to see how far they can push the boundaries when it comes to commercials. Recently PepsiCo released a commercial for their Mountain Dew product. Some critics of the commercial are calling this the most racist commercial ever.
The problem with the commercial
The commercial was an attempt to promote the beverage’s “Dew It” slogan. It was created by, “Tyler The Creator”, the front man of the hip-hop group Odd Future. Reactions of the ad show that it might have not been the best way to promote a product. The commercial stereotypically places a handful of African American men and a goat in a police line-up where a battered Caucasian woman on crutches, is asked to “nail the little sucker” from a one way mirror.
This ad really takes a step backwards, with some even claiming that it shows a goat as an equal amongst the African American community. Based on the general public’s reaction, this attempt to push the limit failed. The commercial was pulled from all Mountain Dew channels and also will not be airing anymore. Weirdly enough, this hasn’t been the first time PepsiCo has been the center storm for controversial ads. In 2008 they released suicide themed ads for their product PepsiMax, and in 2011 a skinny cancampaign was released and made to appeal to women.
Dew Or Don’t
The question now arises, what will be the future of this Mountain Dew marketing campaign and the goat? The general public giving up the soft drink doesn’t sound like it would happen anytime soon. Also PepsiCo has its experience going through tough times with ads that spark controversy and they still have stayed strong as one of the soft drink giants. Will this impact the sales for the beverage? Or did this ad create a buzz, which causes people to become a little more interested in the product? What do you think?
