Media Blog: Opinion on PepsiMAX advertising
The advertising campaign recently employed by Pepsi in promotion of PepsiMAX had caused some controversy. The print campaign depicts a calorie killing itself using a variety of graphic methods such as, hanging, wrist slitting and setting its self on fire.
Images Sourced from: http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2008/12/pepsi-max-lonely-calory/
Though one of the main aims of advertising is to grab people's attention, another is to successfully promote the product.
These ads certainly have caught people's attention but they are being associated with Pepsi and not the derivative PepsiMAX which they are advertising. There probably is a better way to get the message of there being only one calorie in PepsiMAX across. There is an established link between loneliness and isolation and suicide, which these ads seem insensitive towards. The 'loneliness', being the only one in a can, of the calorie is the only reason given as to why it is killing itself. This feeling in people would be horrible and strikes a little too close to a real reason behind suicide to be entirely acceptable as an advertising slogan. The other times that a similar concept has been used in advertising the same kind of furor has been created and resulted in the ads being pulled. Pepsi responded similarly by assuring its consumers that the ads would not be run again (sourced from: http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=133043).
To me the response to these ads around the world shows that Pepsi is out of touch with their audience. Suicide is a serious issue and while their ads have attracted attention and are rather nice from a design perspective, the subject matter and function is questionable. Pepsi's decision to remove the ads from circulation should be respected as it is certainly the right thing to do.
Images Sourced from: http://www.ibelieveinadv.com/2008/12/pepsi-max-lonely-calory/
Though one of the main aims of advertising is to grab people's attention, another is to successfully promote the product.
These ads certainly have caught people's attention but they are being associated with Pepsi and not the derivative PepsiMAX which they are advertising. There probably is a better way to get the message of there being only one calorie in PepsiMAX across. There is an established link between loneliness and isolation and suicide, which these ads seem insensitive towards. The 'loneliness', being the only one in a can, of the calorie is the only reason given as to why it is killing itself. This feeling in people would be horrible and strikes a little too close to a real reason behind suicide to be entirely acceptable as an advertising slogan. The other times that a similar concept has been used in advertising the same kind of furor has been created and resulted in the ads being pulled. Pepsi responded similarly by assuring its consumers that the ads would not be run again (sourced from: http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=133043).
To me the response to these ads around the world shows that Pepsi is out of touch with their audience. Suicide is a serious issue and while their ads have attracted attention and are rather nice from a design perspective, the subject matter and function is questionable. Pepsi's decision to remove the ads from circulation should be respected as it is certainly the right thing to do.