Corporate communications is not a soft accessory to business strategy — it is the battlefield where brand wars are won or lost. And in the age of social media, a single ad or executive misstep can spiral into global outrage within hours. Few stories capture this dynamic better than Pepsi’s infamous Kendall Jenner ad and BP’s clumsy handling of the Deepwater Horizon disaster. These two cases — one born of tone-deaf branding, the other of dismissive crisis communications — remain cautionary tales for communicators worldwide.
Case Study 1: Pepsi’s Kendall Jenner Ad — “Peace Through Soda”
In April 2017, Pepsi released a commercial featuring Kendall Jenner leaving a glamorous photo shoot to join a protest, ultimately handing a police officer a Pepsi, seemingly resolving social tensions. The imagery echoed Black Lives Matter protests, women’s marches, and anti-police brutality demonstrations. The backlash was immediate, ferocious, and global.
What went wrong?
- Tone-Deaf Appropriation: Pepsi trivialized life-and-death struggles by suggesting that systemic racism and police violence could be solved with a soda.
- The Wrong Messenger: Kendall Jenner, a privileged celebrity with no history of activism, was an ill-suited face for “social justice.”
- Corporate Arrogance: The ad revealed how insulated Pepsi’s decision-making had become from real cultural conversations.
The damage was swift: Pepsi pulled the ad within 24 hours, Jenner was humiliated, and Pepsi became the butt of global ridicule.
Case Study 2: BP and the Deepwater Horizon Disaster
On April 20, 2010, an explosion on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig killed 11 workers and triggered the largest marine oil spill in U.S. history. Beyond the environmental devastation, BP’s communications became a second disaster.
BP’s missteps:
- Minimizing the Scale: BP initially underestimated the size of the spill, eroding credibility.
- CEO Tony Hayward’s Infamous Line: In May 2010, Hayward said, “I’d like my life back.” For a company responsible for a deadly ecological disaster, this was a communications death sentence.
- Slow Acknowledgment: BP seemed reactive rather than proactive, lagging behind government agencies, scientists, and media in providing updates.
The reputational cost was staggering. BP became synonymous with corporate negligence. Hayward was forced to resign. A decade later, “BP” is still shorthand for environmental recklessness.
Common Threads Between Pepsi and BP
Though different in scale, both failures highlight core truths about corporate communications:
- Detachment from Reality: Pepsi lived in a bubble of creative fantasy; BP lived in a bubble of corporate arrogance. Both were out of touch with how their messages would land with real people.
- Failure to Prioritize Stakeholders: Pepsi insulted its consumers’ intelligence. BP insulted the victims, communities, and ecosystems harmed by its actions.
- The Speed of Outrage: In both cases, social media amplified mistakes at lightning speed. Once outrage crystallizes online, brands can only play defense.
- Leadership Missteps: Jenner as spokesperson and Hayward as CEO both revealed how the wrong face at the wrong time destroys credibility.
The Brand Consequences
- Pepsi: Mocked, memed, and forced to retreat. While sales impact was minimal long-term, the brand’s credibility in social issues was destroyed. Pepsi became a punchline for corporate cluelessness.
- BP: Billions in fines, settlements, and cleanup costs. More damaging, BP’s name remains tarnished — a reminder that reputational damage often outlasts financial recovery.
Lessons for Communicators
- Cultural Sensitivity Is Non-Negotiable: Communications must be tested against the lived experiences of diverse audiences.
- Choose Spokespeople Carefully: Credibility matters. The messenger must authentically align with the message.
- Never Minimize a Crisis: Acknowledge scale, accept responsibility, and over-communicate. Anything less fuels suspicion.
- Leadership Language Defines Perception: One careless phrase (“I want my life back”) can undo billions in damage control.
- Social Media as Judge and Jury: Brands must anticipate and pressure-test content for how it will be perceived in an unforgiving digital arena.
The Pepsi and BP cases illustrate opposite ends of failed communications — one born in the boardroom, the other on the battlefield of a real-world disaster. Both prove that communications is not decoration but destiny. Words and images can destroy decades of brand equity in a heartbeat.
The lesson for corporations is not complicated but often ignored: communication is leadership. Whether in a glossy commercial or a press conference after catastrophe, the way a company speaks is the way it will be remembered. Pepsi sold soda; BP sold oil. But in their darkest moments, both sold arrogance, insensitivity, and incompetence. And the world will never let them forget it.