Failure pattern · United States · 2017
Pepsi's Kendall Jenner ad: pulled within a day
Pepsi's ad showing a celebrity ending a protest standoff by handing a police officer a can of Pepsi was accused of trivialising social justice movements and withdrawn within about 24 hours.
By Shivam Bhandari · Reviewed 31 October 2026 · How we write
by the numbers
- Ad length
- about 2.5 minutes
- Time before withdrawal
- about 24 hours
What happened
In April 2017 Pepsi released a nearly three-minute ad in which model Kendall Jenner left a photo shoot to join a street protest and handed a police officer a Pepsi, prompting cheers. It was made by Pepsi's in-house content studio.
Critics said the ad trivialised protests over police violence, echoing images from real protests such as Black Lives Matter. It was mocked widely online, including by Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice King.
Pepsi pulled the ad within about a day and apologised, including to Jenner. It became a textbook example of brands trying to borrow social causes without understanding them.
Timeline
- 2017
Ad released and withdrawn (April).
what went wrong
- Lack of diverse perspectives in creative review.
- Borrowed a serious cause to sell a product.
- Fast withdrawal limited longer-term damage.
the lesson
Brands that attach themselves to serious causes without real understanding or action risk backlash that overwhelms the message.
Apply it to your business
- 1Test sensitive campaigns with people from affected communities.
- 2Only speak on causes you genuinely act on.
- 3Withdraw quickly when you get it wrong.
Laws at work in this story
Figures are rounded and drawn from public reports, company filings and widely cited coverage at the time. Check the company's latest filings before relying on any number.