Pepsi Super Bowl Commercial Is Blasphemtastic

Posted by Abe Sauer on January 3, 2011 04:30 PM

Pepsi's Superbowl ad campaign is looking to be a mind-bending exercise in crowdsourcing.

First, Pepsi and Doritos announced "the 10 finalists in the Crash the Super Bowl challenge" which will "compete to be one of six consumer-created ads – three for Doritos and three for Pepsi MAX – airing during the Super Bowl XLV broadcast."

That same day, Catholic activists announced their own crowdsourcing effort: "Ask Pepsi-Doritos to reject a commercial that blasphemes the Holy Eucharist as Doritos Chips and Pepsi."

Comedically silly soda commercials versus humorless religious outrage — a match made in heaven?

The commercial in question, titled "Feed Your Flock" (at top), depicts partitioners taking communion using Pepsi Max and Doritos (instead of wine and crackers). As insulting commercials go, it rates a 3 on a scale of ten.

To the brands' credit, a spokesperson took immediately to the comments section on YouTube to clarify the brands' involvement in the ad:

"I work for Frito-Lay and wanted to clarify that the above-discussed video was an entry in the Crash the Super Bowl contest where consumers were asked to submit ads for Doritos or Pepsi MAX with the chance of airing on the Super Bowl broadcast. The video was created by a consumer and not Doritos or Pepsi MAX."

Of course, the final outcome will be that the ad doesn't have a prayer of being shown at the Super Bowl — not because it's insulting, but (ironically) because it will have already received a ton of exposure as part of the protest.

To compare this with a real Pepsi MAX commercial, here's the latest spot in the brand's official NFL campaign:

More about: Crowdsourcing, Pepsi, Pepsi MAX, Doritos, Super Bowl, Advertising, NFL

Old Watcher says:

Blasphetastic - very clever, in a ignorant, moronic way. Thankfully the ad was not selected. Don't touch a Muslim's religion, no, no, bend over backwards for them but for Christians, especially Catholics, hell, it's fair game.

January 3, 2011 06:29 PM #

Jim says:

Lighten up, Francis. We all -- Muslims, Catholics, atheists, whatever - need to be able to laugh at ourselves.

January 3, 2011 09:46 PM #

Maybe it's time for you to be a little more sober minded Jim. No problem laughing at oneself but mockery is another thing entirely. You prove the point perfectly. A Muslim wouldn't take this crap but a Christian, oh yeah, we're just supposed to take it easy.

January 3, 2011 09:49 PM #

kfs says:

This ad is sacrilegious. I am a practicing Catholic who was taught by Nuns and the ad is past offensive. It insults the most sacred part of the Mass. Perhaps it is humorous to the Muslims and non believers but it is not funny in the least to a Catholic. May God have mercy on the originator's soul(s) because he/she will surely need it. Shame on them. There are other ways to be funny about religion. This ad is not one of the ways. Stuff like is why the Pope is so worried about our souls.

January 4, 2011 01:53 PM #

Dan Westmoreland says:

It aint cute dip S...

January 4, 2011 09:26 PM #

Ignatius says:

Please respect a believer. A non-believer won’t understand what it means, but Pepsi and Doritos should! As a Christian, I won’t even curse you because that would be defeating my faith.

January 4, 2011 07:41 AM #

khealy says:

Forget the commercial, It is irrelevant. What is more disturbing is that Abe Sauer thinks it is a 3 on a scale of 10 as it relates to being insulting. It is that kind of perverse, reverse, anti-christian attitude that is at the base of what is starting to go wrong in this country and other countries founded on Christian beliefs. Let's try to not insult ANY religion. There is so much other material out there to use as the basis for humor that is not offensive.

January 4, 2011 08:56 AM #

A Sauer says:

As I noted, the commercial is silly and I totally agree that there is so much more material out there. It's notable that this commercial was created by fans and voted on by the population at large, not the brands themselves. So it seems Americans, 80 percent of who self-identify as Christians, are the ones championing this spot. As for a "3" in offensiveness, I think that;s accurate when compared with, say, this http://bailoutbailoutbailout.com/

January 4, 2011 10:30 AM #

catholic says:

This commercial is offensive to Christians especially those of Catholic faith. It is an insult and anti christian and very wrong.

January 4, 2011 01:50 PM #

Roman Catholic says:

I am an extremely difficult person to offend. You can do or say just about anything to me and I won't be offended. This commercial, however, made me sick to my stomach and made me cry. I will no longer eat Doritos or Pepsi products ever again. Unless you are Roman Catholic, you have no clue how offensive this ad is. I lost all color in my face and had to sit down with my head between my legs so I wouldn't faint. What people don't understand is that we Catholics truly believe that the Holy Communion IS the Body and Blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. You just don't take that lightly.

January 4, 2011 02:24 PM #

Practicing Catholic says:

Not only do I find the ad offensive, I find the author's "3 on a scale of ten" comment ignorant...not to mention calling communion wine and "crackers" bordering on buffoonish. Who hired this guy?

January 4, 2011 08:33 PM #

Try making fun of mohammed! I could be killed for failing to capitalize his god dam name --stick Pepsi and them putrid chips up....there where the sun don shine

January 4, 2011 09:25 PM #

Faithful Catholic says:

What ever happened to taking responsibility for your own actions? This "not my fault" kind of attitude taken by the corporations is despicable. Regardless of where the commercial originated, the corporation came very close to airing it. I have made it my personal endeavor to initiate a boycott of Pepsi and Doritos to send a very clear message that this is a topic that should never be taken lightly!

January 4, 2011 10:15 PM #

Devout Catholic says:

Looks like Coca Cola has become the Official Softdrink Of The Catholic Church. What a bunch of idiots. There are over a Billion + Roman Catholics in the world and I am one of them! Not only is this ad offensive, it is also bad for Pepsi's Business. IDIOTS.

January 4, 2011 11:20 PM #

John Bender says:

The Doritos ad is patently offensive. Anyone who doesn't understand this is either not a Catholic, or is at least an ill-informed one. To publicly display the holiest element of Catholic faith as being nothing more than a casual snack is sacrilegious. The communion wafer is believed to be the mystical embodiment of the Savior's flesh, and the communion wine His blood. During Mass the priest, empowered by Christ's example and command, transubstantiates - or Divinely transforms - the wafers and blood. During communion they are no longer mere symbols but rather exist as the metaphysical embodiments of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ. With their ad Doritos executives are essentially replacing Christ on the Cross with their product. It is a disgusting image and based on flagrant disregard of the sublime truth and significance of God sacrificing his Son for the salvation of every human being. But, Catholics will suffer this. We will not rampage. We will not threaten to cut anyone's head off or blow up any buildings. Jesus told us that he would continually be mocked beyond his death and resurrection, and those who made this commercial and those who run it participate in his on-going crucifixion. But God does not need his children to defend His dignity. A tiny child is not expected to defend or protect it's mighty Father. God can, and will, see to His own dignity, and the role of the Christian is to never betray it.

January 5, 2011 07:26 AM #