Kendall Jenner's Pepsi commercial has been pulled due to the fact social-media backlash isn't dying down.
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"Pepsi was trying to project a global a message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologize," the brand said in a statement.
"We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are pulling the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologize for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."
The Pepsi commercial featured the 21-year-old supermodel and Keeping Up with the Kardashians star posing for a photo shoot as a march full of multi-racial protesters took place in the streets.
The protesters were holding signs that read "peace," "love" and "join the conversation," and at one point, Jenner decided to join in. Jenner then grabbed a Pepsi can and handed it to a nearby police officer to seemingly ease tension, after which cheers erupted from the crowd.
The commercial, titled "Live For Now Moments Anthem," closed with the following slogan: "Live bolder, live louder, live for now."
Pepsi released the ad campaign on Tuesday, when rage and criticism on social media sparked from people saying the company never should have used imagery and the spirit of current movements such as Black Lives Matter and anti-Donald Trump marches to sell a product.
Many Twitter users mocked the piece's creative direction. Users called it "one of the worst moments in Pepsi history" as well as disrespectful. One person said Pepsi's ad prompted "brand-destroying laughter," while another user wrote, "Shame on you Pepsi for such a tasteless ad."
Jenner has yet to comment on all the backlash as well as Pepsi's decision to pull her commercial, but she previously discussed the opportunity in an interview with People before the campaign went live.
"I've been a huge fan of Pepsi and their lifestyle that they've created and everything," Jenner told the magazine.
"It's really fun and it's really awesome... it's actually an honor to be following up some of the icons [who have previously modeled for Pepsi] -- the amazing, just cool people that have done this before me and been a part of these commercials and everything. Yeah, it's really exciting."
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
