Pepsi has taken a lot of deserved heat over its controversial new ad featuring Kendall Jenner that critics said co-opted real-life political movements. But it could have avoided this mess if it had paid attention to a 1999 music video by the electronic dance band The Chemical Brothers, in which a soda company co-opts a revolution for a commercial.
The video, via Pitchfork, is for the 1999 song “Out of Control.” In it, a rebel dressed in fatigues hurls a fictional “Viva” soda bottle (labels out!) at riot breakers, and then the scene literally star wipes to the rebels celebrating along with the police in front of a Viva truck. It’s then revealed that this is a commercial on TV that inevitably sparks more actual riots in the real world.
Rosario Dawson actually starred in the music video and pointed out on Twitter that the Pepsi ad is “eerily reminiscent” of the one they shot over 15 years ago, with the actress adding that the new ad “sadly misses the point.” “Out of Control” was directed by W.I.Z.
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
Pepsi later defended the ad, but then ultimately pulled it.
Watch the video for “Out of Control” above.