Something sucks about Pepsi ad complaint » BevBlog

BevBlog: Something sucks about Pepsi ad complaint

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Posted by Matt Casey, Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm

Columnist and Radio and TV commentator Glenn Sacks is disgusted. He’s fired up. He’s urging his readers to call Pepsi and complain – not because of the scantily clad woman dancing in the SoBe Life Water commercial (not to mention the farting lizards) or the corpulent, bare-chested mechanic powering a car via his nipples in their fourth quarter Amp Energy commercial, but because a special effects team inflicted on-screen pain to pop star Justin Timberlake (speaking of nipples) in the second quarter’s Pepsi Stuff commercial.

The commercial featured Timberlake flying across a busy street and bashing into a mailbox post on his way to a young, attractive female Pepsi drinker who sucks dry her bottle of Pepsi in order to earn points to buy a Justin Timberlake mp3.

When Timberlake arrived, a flat panel TV crashed over his head and knocked him out. The girl’s father chugged his own share of Pepsi to earn the points for that.

“I understand slapstick humor but this was way over the line,” noted Sacks. “Timberlake is in severe pain in the ad, and gets painfully whacked in the nuts on three separate occasions. All because some pretty girl is sucking him in by drinking her Pepsi.”

To which reply: yeah, something about this definitely sucks.

To see Sacks’ column, click here.

To see the ad, click here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 5th, 2008 at 4:00 pm and is filed under Pepsi, SoBe, energy drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

There are currently 12 responses to “Something sucks about Pepsi ad complaint”

Why not let us know what you think by adding your own comment! Your opinion is as valid as anyone elses, so come on... let us know what you think.

1 On February 5th, 2008, I AM 200% b12 said:
Are you kidding me?? It’s a commercial, nothing more. It’s not like he was doing his own stunts, and I doubt he’s sitting at home in pain. The idea behind the commercial was great, in my opinion, and I found it to be one of the better SuperBowl commercials. Hey Sacks, take a deep breath and realize that you’re watching a magical thing called “TV”. If you’re that worried about Justin, send him a get well soon card. Then tell us all how crazy he thinks you are.
2 On February 5th, 2008, Charlie Brown said:
It was a terrible ad. Most of the industry has come to realize that it’s not so good to do violence to genitalia in an ad, whether male or female. I hope you folks can stop for a second and say “Yes. We understand. It’s not necessary to attack someone’s crotch to sell our softdrinks. How did we ever get to this place.”

It will be hard for many of you, but don’t give up. We know you can do better.

The Coke balloons ad was superb.
3 On February 5th, 2008, DJ said:
Omg, this is just ridiculous.

The premise of the ad was “one sip gets you closer to prizes”… The with every sip she took Justin Timberlake (representing a Justin timberlake MP3) was getting closer to her…

I’ve heard of Glenn Sacks and for the most part he is fighting a good fight, but this issue is just ridiculous. In my eyes it brings his credibility down.

The commercial was honestly stupid… but male bashing? I dont think so.

If anything, it was more degrading towards the women, remember the part in the field when he is getting dragged and the girls are trying to grab them? makes the girls look worse than him. He was an innocent in the commercial. He was not mesmerized by just a pretty girl or anything like that…

People need to lighten up
4 On February 5th, 2008, Tim Murray said:
If Pepsi had run an ad during the Super Bowl portraying women as sex objects, is there any question Pepsi would have been inundated with protests from women’s groups? And rightly so, because women’s groups long ago recognized that such ads are degrading to women; that is, they detract from women’s dignity as human beings. And Pepsi would have responded with sensitivity.

Well, it may surprise some people that men are not immune from negative gender stereotyping in mainstream ads, but for reasons that are difficult to fathom, negative stereotyping of males is far more acceptable. In fact, it is so common, most people don’t notice it. Men are routinely portrayed as punching bags (as in this commercial, where, among other things, a male is repeatedly knocked in the groin — how very amusing) or as complete buffoons. It is an unspoken rule of advertising that women are not to be hurt and that women must be portrayed as smarter and emotionally better adjusted than men.

Would you not agree that incessantly portraying men as punching bags and buffoons detracts from men’s dignity as human beings? The question scarcely survives its statement.

Ask yourself this: would Pepsi have run the same commercial with a female star being physically pummeled? Of course not. It only “works” with a male.

And, you see, that’s the problem.
5 On February 5th, 2008, Bart Dulu said:
Yeah, no doubt. I am fed up with this male trashing crap. No way they show a woman getting bashed up.- Cool enough, I hate pepsi- now i have a good reason why. Icebreakers commercial was pretty jacked too. WTF- get taken out for giving a piece of gum?
6 On February 6th, 2008, Greg said:
WOW, The serious tones of some of these arguments is astounding. The reason most guys don’t get upset over these things is that we are not so wrapped up in our emotional well being that we can not accept the humor part of the ads without somehow feeling threatened or invalidated by society because we are “part of a joke”.
Humor brings levity to life. Lose it and lose life.
7 On February 7th, 2008, jm said:
Mr. Glen Sacks please get a job, or something to take up some of your time and stop wasting ours.

It is a commercial…acting. I guess you do not watch any movies? You are just proving that there is so many morons in the world!!!

Do me a favor…SHUT UP!!!!
8 On February 7th, 2008, Charlie Brown said:
Pepsi chose to spend $5.4 million to present this crotch ramming in the highest profile way humanly possible. Pepsi chose this platform for presenting a sick perversion of the image of a tragically disturbed and suicidal mother and former child star.

Pepsi’s leadership is going to be held accountable for going down this highest of high priced lowest of low roads.
9 On February 8th, 2008, Stephen said:
It’s amazing all the men who find this crappy commercial acceptable. There was nothing funny about the ad. The ad was loaded with misandry. JT gets pummeled, the sissy wears a wig and the dad is no role-model. Naturally the women are smart and sexy. And then men find no problem with any of this. When you’re put through the feminist meat grinder then you’ll understand.
10 On February 10th, 2008, charlie brown sucks said:
lighten up man your making it to obvious you work for cce
11 On February 19th, 2008, Marc A. said:
I didn’t see the ad, but if it made humor out of a male being slammed in the nuts, then I totally agree with Glenn. The people who find this acceptable even upon reflection and who tell Glenn things like get a job or get a life are usually those who are not very aware of the double standards regarding violence against men and violence against women. Hurting a woman is considered shocking and terrible but hurting a man is considered ok and even funny. A woman breaking a man’s nose, like in the movie Sideways, is “funny” but if the genders were reversed and all else the same it would not be found funny. Meanwhile male victims of domestic violence remain covered up and ignored with no outreach and few services. http://www.ncfmla.org/dv_data.html

Prof. Linda Kelly, “Disabusing the Definition of Domestic Abuse; How Women Batter Men and the Role of the Feminist State,” 30 Fl. St. Law Review 791 (2003)
http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawreview/downloads/304/kelly.pdf

So I agree with Glenn and will not buy Pepsi at least for a long time. I’ll enjoy something healthier, like blueberry cinder from TJs or a nice cold brew. And BTW, I have a damn good life and a good sense of humor, but thanks in advance for your concern.
12 On December 21st, 2008, Joe said:
Pepsi’s ads are terrible. Jimmy Fallon dancing? Who wants to see that?

Now they’re ripping off old SNL routines.

It’s pathetic.

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1 On February 5th, 2008, I AM 200% b12 said:

Are you kidding me?? It’s a commercial, nothing more. It’s not like he was doing his own stunts, and I doubt he’s sitting at home in pain. The idea behind the commercial was great, in my opinion, and I found it to be one of the better SuperBowl commercials. Hey Sacks, take a deep breath and realize that you’re watching a magical thing called “TV”. If you’re that worried about Justin, send him a get well soon card. Then tell us all how crazy he thinks you are.

2 On February 5th, 2008, Charlie Brown said:

It was a terrible ad. Most of the industry has come to realize that it’s not so good to do violence to genitalia in an ad, whether male or female. I hope you folks can stop for a second and say “Yes. We understand. It’s not necessary to attack someone’s crotch to sell our softdrinks. How did we ever get to this place.”

It will be hard for many of you, but don’t give up. We know you can do better.

The Coke balloons ad was superb.

3 On February 5th, 2008, DJ said:

Omg, this is just ridiculous.

The premise of the ad was “one sip gets you closer to prizes”… The with every sip she took Justin Timberlake (representing a Justin timberlake MP3) was getting closer to her…

I’ve heard of Glenn Sacks and for the most part he is fighting a good fight, but this issue is just ridiculous. In my eyes it brings his credibility down.

The commercial was honestly stupid… but male bashing? I dont think so.

If anything, it was more degrading towards the women, remember the part in the field when he is getting dragged and the girls are trying to grab them? makes the girls look worse than him. He was an innocent in the commercial. He was not mesmerized by just a pretty girl or anything like that…

People need to lighten up

4 On February 5th, 2008, Tim Murray said:

If Pepsi had run an ad during the Super Bowl portraying women as sex objects, is there any question Pepsi would have been inundated with protests from women’s groups? And rightly so, because women’s groups long ago recognized that such ads are degrading to women; that is, they detract from women’s dignity as human beings. And Pepsi would have responded with sensitivity.

Well, it may surprise some people that men are not immune from negative gender stereotyping in mainstream ads, but for reasons that are difficult to fathom, negative stereotyping of males is far more acceptable. In fact, it is so common, most people don’t notice it. Men are routinely portrayed as punching bags (as in this commercial, where, among other things, a male is repeatedly knocked in the groin — how very amusing) or as complete buffoons. It is an unspoken rule of advertising that women are not to be hurt and that women must be portrayed as smarter and emotionally better adjusted than men.

Would you not agree that incessantly portraying men as punching bags and buffoons detracts from men’s dignity as human beings? The question scarcely survives its statement.

Ask yourself this: would Pepsi have run the same commercial with a female star being physically pummeled? Of course not. It only “works” with a male.

And, you see, that’s the problem.

5 On February 5th, 2008, Bart Dulu said:

Yeah, no doubt. I am fed up with this male trashing crap. No way they show a woman getting bashed up.- Cool enough, I hate pepsi- now i have a good reason why. Icebreakers commercial was pretty jacked too. WTF- get taken out for giving a piece of gum?

6 On February 6th, 2008, Greg said:

WOW, The serious tones of some of these arguments is astounding. The reason most guys don’t get upset over these things is that we are not so wrapped up in our emotional well being that we can not accept the humor part of the ads without somehow feeling threatened or invalidated by society because we are “part of a joke”.
Humor brings levity to life. Lose it and lose life.

7 On February 7th, 2008, jm said:

Mr. Glen Sacks please get a job, or something to take up some of your time and stop wasting ours.

It is a commercial…acting. I guess you do not watch any movies? You are just proving that there is so many morons in the world!!!

Do me a favor…SHUT UP!!!!

8 On February 7th, 2008, Charlie Brown said:

Pepsi chose to spend $5.4 million to present this crotch ramming in the highest profile way humanly possible. Pepsi chose this platform for presenting a sick perversion of the image of a tragically disturbed and suicidal mother and former child star.

Pepsi’s leadership is going to be held accountable for going down this highest of high priced lowest of low roads.

9 On February 8th, 2008, Stephen said:

It’s amazing all the men who find this crappy commercial acceptable. There was nothing funny about the ad. The ad was loaded with misandry. JT gets pummeled, the sissy wears a wig and the dad is no role-model. Naturally the women are smart and sexy. And then men find no problem with any of this. When you’re put through the feminist meat grinder then you’ll understand.

10 On February 10th, 2008, charlie brown sucks said:

lighten up man your making it to obvious you work for cce

11 On February 19th, 2008, Marc A. said:

I didn’t see the ad, but if it made humor out of a male being slammed in the nuts, then I totally agree with Glenn. The people who find this acceptable even upon reflection and who tell Glenn things like get a job or get a life are usually those who are not very aware of the double standards regarding violence against men and violence against women. Hurting a woman is considered shocking and terrible but hurting a man is considered ok and even funny. A woman breaking a man’s nose, like in the movie Sideways, is “funny” but if the genders were reversed and all else the same it would not be found funny. Meanwhile male victims of domestic violence remain covered up and ignored with no outreach and few services. http://www.ncfmla.org/dv_data.html

Prof. Linda Kelly, “Disabusing the Definition of Domestic Abuse; How Women Batter Men and the Role of the Feminist State,” 30 Fl. St. Law Review 791 (2003)
http://www.law.fsu.edu/journals/lawreview/downloads/304/kelly.pdf

So I agree with Glenn and will not buy Pepsi at least for a long time. I’ll enjoy something healthier, like blueberry cinder from TJs or a nice cold brew. And BTW, I have a damn good life and a good sense of humor, but thanks in advance for your concern.

12 On December 21st, 2008, Joe said:

Pepsi’s ads are terrible. Jimmy Fallon dancing? Who wants to see that?

Now they’re ripping off old SNL routines.

It’s pathetic.

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