'We apologize for this video and take full responsibility,' the company said in an updated statement late Wednesday afternoon.

PepsiCo Inc., based in Purchase, N.Y., said it understood how the ad could be offensive. But by handing over control to a celebrity, she said the company ran the risk of having an ad that wasn't appropriate. If PepsiCo had created an ad for Mountain Dew, for example, she said it might not have been considered edgy or cool. Laura Ries, president of Ries & Ries, a marketing firm based in Atlanta, said companies that want the 'street cred' of a celebrity may end up losing control of the message they want to convey. Last month, Reebok also ended its relationship with Rick Ross after he rapped about giving a woman a drug to have his way with her. In fact, Mountain Dew also was criticized recently because of its endorsement deal with Lil Wayne, whose rap lyrics compared a rough sex act to the tortuous death of Emmett Till, a black teen who was murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

But the controversy over its latest spot illustrates the fine line that companies must walk when trying to be hip. Mountain Dew, known for its neon colour and high caffeine content, is generally marketed to younger men and sometimes attempts to have edgier ads. The word 'do' is in apparent reference to the soft drink's 'Dew It' slogan. The woman eventually screams 'I can't do this, no no no!' and runs away. The ad was part of a series developed by African-American rapper Tyler, The Creator, and depicted a battered white woman on crutches being urged to identify a suspect out of a lineup of black men.Ī goat character known as Felicia is included in the lineup and makes threatening comments to the woman, such as 'Ya better not snitch on a playa' and 'Keep ya mouth shut.' The soda and snack food company said it immediately pulled the 60-second spot after learning that people found it offensive. 'This ad has to be one of the most irresponsible pieces of trash in the history of corporate advertising.NEW YORK - PepsiCo is once again learning the risks of celebrity partnerships after an ad for Mountain Dew was criticized for portraying racial stereotypes and making light of violence toward women. 'It appears that Mountain Dew is right on board with the degradation and disrespect for the entire African American community being pursued by the worst in the hip-hop community,' Watkins wrote. In the video, a woman is trying to identify the suspect while being threatened by the goat, which tells her, according to Watkins, 'I'm going to get out of here and do you up.' 'Of course, in the world of Mountain Dew, every single suspect is black,' wrote Watkins, who previously published a lecture series called, 'Commercialized Hip-Hop, the Gospel of Self-Destruction.' The ad stars a character, Felicia the Goat, in a police lineup among members of Odd Future.īoyce Watkins, a finance professor from Syracuse University and social commentator, wrote a blog post about the ad, entitled, 'Mountain Dew Releases Arguably the Most Racist Commercial in History.' 'We have removed it from all Mountain Dew channels and Tyler is removing it from his channels as well.' 'We apologize for this video and take full responsibility,' read a statement provided by a PepsiCo spokeswoman. PepsiCo, which owns Mountain Dew, said it was pulling the ad. The video was created by Odd Future's co-founder, Tyler Gregory Okonma, who is known by the stage name, Tyler, the Creator.

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