Until Wednesday, Pepsi was finding itself in hot water concerning its double standard for choosing foul-mouthed spokesmen for their products. Last year, the company decided to "can" a spot featuring rapper Ludacris due to Bill O'Reilly's claim that supporting such an "immoral" artist would force him to urge his viewers to boycott. The claim stated that Ludacris's profane song lyrics prompted the complaints leading to the shelving of the ad. This ran the company into a bit of controversy, but nothing could compare to what would follow. \nDuring the Superbowl, Pepsi made an even poorer decision when they decided to run an Ozzy Osbourne commercial, enraging hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons. If Ludacris stood for a profane lifestyle and was to be considered "immoral," how did Pepsi reconcile adopting the "Prince of f-ing Darkness" himself with their standard of avoiding ties with edgy musicians?\nRussell called for a mass boycott and put Pepsi on the spot. This seemed to work -- to a degree. Since then, Pepsi has admitted to their hypocrisy and agreed to settle with the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network and the Ludacris Foundation. The New York Times reports that in the agreement, Pepsi pledged millions of dollars to grassroots, nonprofit organizations targeting disadvantaged youth in the United States. (The report does indicate, however, that it was less than the $5 million Simmons demanded last week.)\nPerhaps more importantly, the demand to reinstate the canceled Ludacris ad was rejected.\nAy, there's the rub. \nWhile we applaud Pepsi for their generosity and owning up to their double standard, it seems apparent that they are simply buying their way out of the problem. The Osbourne ad is still receiving air time, and Ludacris is still not to be seen on TV drinking a Pepsi. \nIn Pepsi's eyes: "Rolling Out," that's immoral. Urinating on the Alamo? That's a lemon flavored "Twist."\nPepsi has given in to Bill O'Reilly's pressure. What's the company's slogan? We believe Britney Spears sings it: "For those who think young"?\nSurely the image of the O'Reilly Factor's slightly balding, reactionary frontman rests on the minds of all those out there "thinking young."\nIf Pepsi really wants to remain true to Pepsi spokesman Bart Casabona's statement, "the common ground is young people," then listen to the young people. Leave Ozzy on if you want, but he's been commodified by soccer moms and major beverage distributors by now -- square. Pepsi should catch Ludacris while they still can and while kids still respect him, before he joins Mya and Common to sling Coke bottles to those who want the "real thing."
-- JP Benitez for the Editorial Board
