Pepsi Apologises After Wild Cherry Campaign Sparks Consent Backlash
Pepsi has apologised and deleted a promotional post for its Wild Cherry flavour after social media users criticised the wording for appearing to trivialise consent.
SociapaHQ
Pepsi has apologised and taken down a social media post promoting its Wild Cherry flavour after it was widely criticised for language many users said trivialised consent.
Shared on Threads as part of a promotional campaign for the brand, the post read: “Pepsi Wild Cherry is what happens when regular cherry stops asking permission.
Online, the language did not go over fast, with critics saying it seemed to trivialise consent and used messaging that many felt was inappropriate.
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Social Media Users Criticise Campaign:
Social-media users questioned how the copy was approved, calling it insensitive and saying it evoked uncomfortable associations with sexual consent.
Some felt brands needed to be more careful in their use of provocative language in ads.
One user said the wording trivialised consent and another said the campaign risked alienating consumers with language that could be interpreted as referring to sexual violence.
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Pepsi Removes Post, Issues Apology:
Following the backlash, Pepsi deleted the post and issued a public apology on social media.
"Our recent Wild Cherry post landed in a way we never intended. We hear you, we're sorry, and the post has been deleted," the company said.
Despite the apology, criticism continued, with some users questioning how the campaign had cleared the company's internal review process before being published.
Others, however, defended Pepsi, arguing that the copy was intended to position the Wild Cherry flavour as bold and rebellious rather than make any reference to consent.
Some users suggested the messaging was being interpreted more harshly than intended and viewed it as an attempt to reinforce the product's "wild" branding.
