This was evident when “Bernays famously helped the American Tobacco Company co-opt women’s rights to sell them cigarette by staging a demonstration by debutantes at the 1929 Easter parade in New York” ( “Woke Washing: The Problem with ‘Branding’ Social Movements”). Bernays believed that “if one can design propaganda or psychological operations that bypass the conscious and rational faculties of the individual, targeting instead suppressed emotions and hidden desires, it is possible to move people to adopt beliefs and behaviors without them being aware of the underlying motivations leading them on” ( “Edward Bernays and Group Psychology: Manipulating the Masses”). This may sound great on the surface, but people are finding some brands not following through with their words.įocusing first on Bernays, Bernays understood that appealing to the emotions and unconscious desires of the consumer would better aid in the sale of products.
There has been an increase of companies choosing “feel-good progressive slogans and activism over traditional advertising strategies that highlight the value or features of a product or service” ( Brian).
In the case of Pepsi and their commercial, they tried to market off the Black Lives Matter movement, but the advertisement came off insensitive and “trivialized the widespread protests against the killings of black people by police” ( Victor). According to Forbes, “Woke-washing is a term used to define practices in business that provide the appearance of social consciousness without any of the substance” ( Howard). While some believe that it’s good to see bands take a stand on social justice issues, others have begun to call brands out for “woke washing,” or the concept of using progressive values just to make a profit ( “Woke Washing: The Problem with ‘Branding’ Social Movements ”). The Pepsi commercial and the concept of “woke washing” can be studied through the concept and theories of propaganda and mass manipulation from the perspective of Noam Chomsky and Edward Bernays. It would appear that this commercial fell under the term “woke washing” as it tried to appease the younger generations as appearing to be social conscious. Audiences were quick to voice their opinions about the now deemed controversial commercial. The end of the ad shows Jenner handing a police officer a can of Pepsi and the crowd cheers.
The commercial, which would end up being pulled off the air and the internet within a day, featured Jenner abandoning a photoshoot to join a protest. Many celebrities have been featured in Pepsi commercials such as Michael Jackson, Beyoncé, and Britney Spears. In 2017, Pepsi partnered with supermodel Kendall Jenner to create a hopefully profitable commercial. Full Pepsi Commercial Starring Kendal Jenner
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