Wow, I didn’t think that Pepsi would be the company to push boundaries like that.

I agree. The third one is awfully violet. Also, it takes awhile to figure this ad out.

i think it’s quite unjust that the illustrator is not credited in this campaign when he/she is the best part of this campaign. The idea is not very original nor insightful – it is the great and humorous illustration style that carries this campaign.

These print ads are fantastic! Finally a company with the guts to push the limits! Me and all my friends were rolling on the ground laughing. Like it or not, look at all the attention it’s getting!

Most distracting and aggressive low calorie drink ad i’ve seen. It’s almost like the “very very very” is trying to justify the actions (for example, if it said ‘one lonely calorie’ it would not be able to fly…). Personally, I’m pretty put off by it.

i don’t unterstant the discussion about suicides. this is a cartoon and we see much harder stuff in tv. i think this is a great ad with good concept and cool artdirektion.

I agree to Greesi:
It is not a human, it´s a calorie! If this puts you off, how do you feel about Tom&Jerry, Itchy&Scratchy, etc.?

It is just a boundary-pushing illustration and very well done! A perfect attention-getter, and that´s what advertising is about…

To the people talking about preventing suicides: Do you REALLY think this ad will have any effect whatsoever on suicide rates?

If there is something thinking, “Hey, the Pepsi calorie is committing suicide. I should too!,” I think we’d be better off without that individual in the gene pool.

I agree with the commenter above. There are more violent and agressive series/ movies etc. in tv. So what’s the problem with this idea?! I’m sorry Mr. Dovel, you’ve got a very very very hard job…
What would say the police about all the people dying in Hollywood-Action-Movies?C’mon get a grip on your weapons law. Every year thousands of people are dying in gunfights and nobody is crying, because of bloody and violent action movies.

In the past United Colours of Benetton proofed, negativ advertising is a lucrative alternative to etablish and promote a brand.

A Direção de arte e a idéia ficaram excelentes. E quem nunca viu suicídio em desenho animado? Quando era criança eu assistia isso o tempo todo. Meu Deus, as pessoas andam tão sensíveis…
Congratulações à BBDO.

Bad idea.

Great artwork.

You know, I totally get it as a creative. I love the illustration style. And while it is pretty over the top, that’s what we do sometimes to make a point. Is it graphic? Yes. Might it ruffle some feathers? Yes. But it’s just an ad and it communicates the message of 1 calorie pretty darn quickly. Society tends to want to act superior and point out the “wrongs” these days. It is what it is. Don’t buy Pepsi if you don’t like it.

It is my understanding that the purpose of advertising is to sell something – a thought, a cause, a charity, an event, a product – in other words, to get people to part with their money or their time, which some say is money anyway. These ads have prompted me, as well as a good number of others, to spend time to comment on them. So in that respect, they’re successful.

But let’s step back a moment and look at the current global environment in which these ads are appearing.

World economy in turmoil. Global job loses and threat of a depression, with no foreseeable turnaround for the next 18 months or more. The holiday season and the inevitable spike in depression that accompanies it, fast approaching.

Maybe it’s not the best time to be selling a can of pop by promoting suicide as an alternative to loneliness and isolation.

Just a thought.

You’ve got to be kidding me! And Pepsi spent how much to come up with these ads? Trust me, my grandchildren could have done better—-and only for a iPod.

Living in a country with one of the highest suicide rates in EU, i can’t say that this would be a good idea to launch such campaign. Even the news about such campaign launched in such country already sparked some debates whether Pepsi is the company that should be in the market…

pepsi isn’t promoting suicide. people are missing the point. it is a cartoon character. it’s not like you can kill it anyway. hmmm. have we lost our ability to tell real from fantasy? it’s just an ad. poor pepsi. this was unfortunate for them.

why didn’t anyone say that the ILLUSTRATIONS ARE AWEWSOME, yet!?!? caus they really are =)

This ad’s “agenda” is pathetic. My brother took his life two months ago. Most of you are right…until you are directly affected by something like suicide, it seems “innocent” and “cute” and “funny”. It comes down to awareness and class. Pepsi has the right to sell their products however they choose, but at what cost? As for me and the hundreds of people I know who are still grieving and terribly shattered by loss of my brother, we will not contribute financially to PepsiCo. Every choice has a consequence, every action, a reaction. As for the comments comparing ads regarding our economic crisis or any current events or hollywood movies..just remember, those things are tangible and still very much alive, my brother however is not..granted by his choice..but the visuals of these advertisements are devastating to the people who have lost someone by suicide.

Pepsi in not promoting suicide yet they are NOT showing a possitive picture of one single calorie either.
Suicide loss is NEVER ‘gotten over’ and until YOU have lost someone to suicide, do not even think of saying ‘its only an ad’
How desperate and callous has this country become that they need to use something so devastating to sell their products? What’s next; abortion? Death is final and people get hurt and some never recover from the losses. Put the humor back NOT the tragedy in.

This is absolutely horrendous. Glorification of suicide is WRONG!

I lost a close friend to suicide and this is NOTHING to joke about.

Shame on Pepsi! I will never buy their products again.

This ad is very offensive to a friend of mine who lost her son to suicide and I demand it not be publicized!!

Wow, I wished this ad was present earlier when I wrote my B.A. thesis on ads… ! This is unbelievable, but I like it, there is much to discuss about its connotations and the image as a whole. No need to be so pessimistic and conservative about its vision. Years ago there were the ads of Yves Saint with Opium or the Colours of Benetton… using most selling concepts of sex and controversy. This time it is suicide, but what kind of a suicide?!?! Do we really come to recognize what there is bellow the surface?

What is it Bill Hick’s says to advertisers and marketeers?
This is one of the motives for his statement, but on the level of art and provocation, this is what good art should do, provoke and manipulate feelings of rage or rapture.
Being a commercial fizzy drink maker is no different from MTV and let’s face it Bill Plympton has made bolder statements about challenging our maker than this.
What’s the big deal? The bigger picture is that viral campaigns get more people talking, especially against the big boys. Pepsi will only strengthen their market share for having the balls to appeal to the reality of our planet.
People, unfortunately, do take their lives. There is no actual mention of it being a sin either. The one good example of suicide in the bible almost says that God deceives mankind by avenging Samson after he takes his life. A forum on that would be far more worthwhile than this here cartoon campaign, which I personally find tasteful and funny. Kudos to Pepsi:)

Well. Until you’ve come to a place where you respect the choice a person has made to take their life, you’ll find these ads offensive. My brother took his life and we cleaned up his house after the fact. Yes, it was a lot to go through and if I had seen these ads then, I would not have laughed. Ten years later though (today) I think they’re quite brilliant. Beautifully illustrated, raw sense of humor and smart. I love the irony.
These thoughts come from a suicide survivor and graphic designer.

No one deserves to rot in hell for offending another’s sensibilities. Moral indignation is jealousy with a halo.

thats just bad taste.