(ThyBlackMan.com) It is an unfortunate truth that in the 21st century world of advertising, African Americans often continue to be portrayed in a demeaning and stereotypical manner. Within the past week alone we’ve seen several examples of corporations apologizing for racist imagery, including a controversial online Mountain Dew ad.
While I, too, was turned off by the commercial, it’s refreshing to see a major corporation such as PepsiCo take ownership of the situation. A Senior executive at PepsiCo, didn’t have to take my call, but they did. As someone who has worked tirelessly on media justice issues for more than a decade and founding RapRehab and as co-founder of Industry Ears, a media think tank 
aimed at addressing racial disparities, I appreciate PepsiCo acting quickly and appropriately in recognizing that the advertisement was offensive to many and quickly removed within 6 hours from all channels. Trust me, quick responses never happen from corporate giants but in this case it did.
Hindsight is indeed 20/20 and I respect that from PepsiCo. However, in today’s global and progressive media market, the very fact that racially offensive advertisements continue to be suggested, fully developed and distributed speaks to a larger issue – a lack of cultural diversity and sensitivity and the perpetuation of historical insensitivity that breeds stereotypes and fuels divisiveness.
It is concerning that in the preliminary stages while creating the ad, nobody saw (or if they did, failed to speak up) that it may be potentially offensive. Surely it is reasonable to expect a seasoned team within a world market organization to recognize advertising which is blatantly offensive to any sector of global consumers. We must demand more from advertisers, and after countless hours of decision, Pepsico agrees.
Finish story over at;
http://raprehab.com/an-open-letter-to-pepsico-regarding-mountain-dew-ad/ (———-
