First Pepsi and now United Airlines… They say 'there’s no such thing as bad publicity' but for these two companies, we can’t help but disagree!
When Pepsi released their new ad featuring socialite and model Kendall Jenner, they quickly received some serious negative backlash. Apart from being totally cringe-worthy, the ad has been accused of trivializing the Black Lives Matter movement and has since been pulled.
After the ad went viral for the wrong reasons, Pepsi issued a statement saying:
"Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly we missed the mark, and we apologise. We did not intend to make light of any serious issue. We are removing the content and halting any further rollout. We also apologise for putting Kendall Jenner in this position."
But if you think that press is bad, take a seat Pepsi, as we welcome United Airlines. After a video of a man being assaulted and literally dragged off one of their planes went viral, the negative PR has soared to new heights.
The flight had been overbooked and the man was made to give up his spot. Thanks to fellow passenger’s videos, the scene was recorded and posted all over social media, covering everyone’s Facebook newsfeed and United Airlines have seriously suffered. Cue memes, tweets and thousands of shares later, the airline is set to hand out a massive pay out to Dr Dao, but will be forever paying for the detrimental bad press.
It just goes to show the importance and influence of social media when it comes to brand perception and brand awareness. It is an incredible platform that has the potential for a brand to go viral, but unfortunately in these cases, for all the wrong reasons.
