Yesterday (April 5), Pepsi pulled its totally misguided Kendall Jenner-starring ad, but not before keen viewers noted a striking resemblance between the soda commercial and the Chemical Brothers' satirical 1999 music video for "Out of Control."
The music video stars Rosario Dawson as a rioter who comes up against militant police officers. Breaking the standoff, she and her fellow protestor swig from giant, branded pop bottles — serving as a cautionary tale about a major soda corporation co-opting meaningful protests for its own marketing purposes.
Pepsi, failing to grasp the irony of the video, basically offered up a completely un-self-aware recreation of the clip for its controversial Jenner-featuring ad earlier this week. The soda giant has since issued a public apology, but now the director of the Chemical Brothers' video, W.I.Z., has responded to the ridiculous ordeal.
He issued a statement to The Fader, which reads:
The original inspiration for my Chemical Brothers film came from the Clash lyric: 'Huh, you think it's funny turning rebellion into money,' crystallizing a deep felt anger that when it comes to the profit margin, absolutely nothing is sacred, not even heartfelt expressions for social justice. We made this film in 1999, however today the inevitable has materialized: it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you were ever in doubt about the carnivorous nature of advertising, then this Pepsi 'spot' says it all. It so insults everyone's intelligence that it's disturbing, what is this culture that we choose to live in that engenders such naked cynicism, is advertising the pornography of capitalism? Vanillarizing our expressions of outrage, cashing in on the very frustrations that this system creates. Right now big business is laughing, clutching our hard earned dollar and hard earned dignity all the way to the bank. Our love, our sweat, our beauty is being sold back to us, two for the price of one.
Yet can this travesty be a wake up call? To us all and to those in front of the camera as well as behind. No longer will we be prostitutes, no longer will we be muppets.
Power to the people.
The video's star, Dawson, also responded to the Pepsi fuck-up. On Tuesday (April 4), she took to Twitter to call the ad "eerily reminiscent" of the Chemical Brothers' clip — "sadly minus the point."
The Chemical Brothers themselves, meanwhile, jumped at the opportunity for a #TBT this week, sharing the timely video in question earlier today.
Watch the original "Out of Control" video below.
The music video stars Rosario Dawson as a rioter who comes up against militant police officers. Breaking the standoff, she and her fellow protestor swig from giant, branded pop bottles — serving as a cautionary tale about a major soda corporation co-opting meaningful protests for its own marketing purposes.
Pepsi, failing to grasp the irony of the video, basically offered up a completely un-self-aware recreation of the clip for its controversial Jenner-featuring ad earlier this week. The soda giant has since issued a public apology, but now the director of the Chemical Brothers' video, W.I.Z., has responded to the ridiculous ordeal.
He issued a statement to The Fader, which reads:
The original inspiration for my Chemical Brothers film came from the Clash lyric: 'Huh, you think it's funny turning rebellion into money,' crystallizing a deep felt anger that when it comes to the profit margin, absolutely nothing is sacred, not even heartfelt expressions for social justice. We made this film in 1999, however today the inevitable has materialized: it's become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
If you were ever in doubt about the carnivorous nature of advertising, then this Pepsi 'spot' says it all. It so insults everyone's intelligence that it's disturbing, what is this culture that we choose to live in that engenders such naked cynicism, is advertising the pornography of capitalism? Vanillarizing our expressions of outrage, cashing in on the very frustrations that this system creates. Right now big business is laughing, clutching our hard earned dollar and hard earned dignity all the way to the bank. Our love, our sweat, our beauty is being sold back to us, two for the price of one.
Yet can this travesty be a wake up call? To us all and to those in front of the camera as well as behind. No longer will we be prostitutes, no longer will we be muppets.
Power to the people.
The video's star, Dawson, also responded to the Pepsi fuck-up. On Tuesday (April 4), she took to Twitter to call the ad "eerily reminiscent" of the Chemical Brothers' clip — "sadly minus the point."
Eerily reminiscent of Chemical Brothers"Out Of Control"vid we shot in Mexico City ~15 yrs ago sadly minus the point: https://t.co/LTI9mJ7zjS https://t.co/DqBjKdQylS
— Rosario Dawson (@rosariodawson) April 4, 2017
The Chemical Brothers themselves, meanwhile, jumped at the opportunity for a #TBT this week, sharing the timely video in question earlier today.
#TBT to 1999's 'Out Of Control' feat @BernardSumner & this classic video by W.I.Z. starring @rosariodawson! #Viva https://t.co/UJSd9H5Hu4
— Chemical Brothers (@ChemBros) April 6, 2017
Watch the original "Out of Control" video below.
