Co-opting means to take (or steal) someone’s idea and use it for a purpose that is not the one the original person intended. What protest movement was Pepsi and Kendall Jenner accused of co-opting?
If the advertisement was co-opting a protest movement, it’s because it was using some of the rhetoric and visual imagery that is associated with that movement. What are some of the rhetorical choices the ad makes that connects it with that protest movement? Choose evidence from the article. Explain.
What was the advertisement’s message and how is that different from the message that protesters have? Why would that contribute to people’s anger about the advertisement?
At the bottom of the article, there are a series of tweets that people tweeted in response to the commercial. Choose one tweet and do a rhetorical analysis of the tweet.
First, identify the tweet you’ve chosen.
Next, describe what the tweet is arguing. What is the main message of this tweet?
Third, who is the specific audience for this tweet, and how do you know? Is the audience specifically addressed? Are they tagged? Do the hashtags tell you anything about audience?
Finally, what rhetorical choices (i.e., specific word choice, use of images, use of links) are made to support that argument for this particular audience?
Reflect: what did you learn from doing this activity? Think about the connections between rhetoric and protest movements. Think about the conversations that we are having in our society that are happening in protest movements, on commercials, and/or on Twitter.
