The impact of socially aware marketing

I thought for a while whether I should write anything about my view on the Heineken and Pepsi ads, but after they started to consume my social media platforms, both of them putting everyone into some sort of weird socially conscious and aware panic, here it goes…

 Pepsi: “Jump In” – a part of the “Live for Now” campaign

  • Kendall Jenner – What? Just….what?
  • Throwing the police force in the States under a bad light.
  • Creating the message that somehow drinking a Pepsi will create a feeling, in turn creating world peace almost instantly?

Heineken Ad: #openyourworld

  • Two seemingly ‘normal’ people having a chat about their differences over a beer.
  • In an empty warehouse setting – when would this ever actually happen?
  • Possibly actors?

Even through all of the backlash and criticism that Pepsi seems to be enduring, they did have a lot of hidden moments and meaningful parts to their ad. Sadly, it seemed as though Kendall overshadowed all of them. I also applaud Heineken. Whether they used actors or not, they were seemingly real people, talking about real issues.

It’s quite interesting watching society take an interest in the ad industry, claiming greed and corruption when a massive brand takes a stance on a sensitive issue. As marketers and advertisers, we understand what makes humans tick, what will get under their skin, and we execute.

Quite frankly, we do it well.

I think we, as a society, should accept the fact that humans have been and always will be creatures of emotion, never logic. Whether Pepsi and Heineken executed their ads brilliantly or not, they have everyone talking. The trick is on us – this buzz that has been created – that’s exactly what these ads were meant to do.

That’s what makes them both brilliant.

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