Recently, I saw an older Pepsi commercial from 2017 on Youtube. What caught my attention was that the commercial was starring the highest paid model in America, Kendall Jenner. The commercial starts off with Jenner opening the soda can and then flashes back and forth between her and an ongoing march for peace. Later, the police arrive and attempt to put an end to the march. Eventually Jenner joins the protest and hands the police officer a can of Pepsi as a symbol of unity and peace which ended the march. Is a can of Pepsi and a supermodel really the solution to the ongoing social issues society is facing today? Although the commercial used pathos to establish an emotional connection with their audience, it was overall rhetorically ineffective due to the misuse of ethos and caused controversy.
This pepsi commercial uses the emotional appeal of pathos by showing a march that resembles many of the protest going on in today’s world. Those protesting are young adults of all different races and color which remind the audience of who and what people are currently fighting for including gun control issues, police brutality and immigration. Having a commercial centered around ongoing issues and relatable youth is how Pepsi connects to their audience. By including this in their commercial, Pepsi is showing how they are aware of the social equality issues that we face today and is demonstrating their compassion for their audience.
However, by the end of the commercial you can conclude that it is overall rhetorically ineffective due to the misuse of ethos of Kendall Jenner. Given that she comes from one of the most controversial families on reality tv and is not really known for anything else except her Victoria Secret modeling career, the audience does not take her seriously. She is not credible, especially for anything related to marches for peace. What has Kendall Jenner done to help solve social issues? Nothing. For that reason, this commercial has been criticized all throughout social media. With such a touchy issue like marching for social equality, having someone like Kendall Jenner to represent peace is not the greatest idea. In fact, the audience can perceive this commercial as a mocking joke. Manners this serious require a respected and credible figure to represent them, otherwise it can be seen as disrespectful.
Overall, Pepsi was able to effective employ the rhetorical appeal of pathos by connecting with their audience through relatable scenarios and people in the commercial. However, the commercial is ineffective because of Kendall Jenner’s celebrity status and controversial background. Instead of attracting the larger audience from Jenner’s platform as a celebrity, Pepsi sparked criticism and their commercial was seen as a joke.
Alkxandra's Rhetoric Blog 