If you haven’t heard by now, Pepsi fueled a social media controversy with its latest ad. The advertisement takes place at a protest, with a crowd of people walking, chanting and playing music while police officers block the road. Then, a model, played by Kendal Jenner, joins the protesters and offers an officer a can of Pepsi. When the officer accepts the drink and takes a sip, the crowd erupts in cheers.
The ad has been called tone-deaf, out of touch, and made a serious situation in the nation trivial. Pepsi issued an apology on Wednesday saying, “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace, and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark and apologize. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue.”
How did this reaction happen? And what could Pepsi have done differently to make the ad work? Let’s look at it from a presenter’s standpoint.
How to Deal with Presentation Backlash
Be Aware of Context
While the ad might have good intentions, the creation behind it did not take into account the very real atmosphere it was presenting. Police and protest tension has seemingly been on the rise. With the 2013 shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of the gunman George Zimmerman, the Black Live Matter movement grew across the country. With more police-involved shootings like the Michael Brown in Baltimore, tensions continued to rise and protests often saw moments of violence. With the relationship remaining unresolved, the Pepsi commercial did not help relieve any tension.
For the presenter, be aware of what the context of your presentation says to your audience.
Have a Backup Plan
One day after Pepsi released the ad and dealt with immediate backlash, I saw a Rolling Stone article on my newsfeed that highlighted Pepsi’s previous ad featuring Britney Spears, Pink and Beyoncé.. This came off as a clear PR move to cast Pepsi in a positive light despite all the controversy. I do not know if Rolling Stone had already planned to publish the article in timing with the new ad, or if this was a prompt response from Pepsi to remind the audience of their other successful campaigns. Either way, distracting the audience and rebuilding credibility are vital to handling bad press.
For the presenters, if you end up in hot water over something you said, come up with a backup plan to deal with the negative attention.
You never know if your audience will embrace or reject the message you present, so always be aware that not everyone will leave happy. It’s better to be prepared to deal with potential backlash and take action to rebuild your reputation.
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