This ad, run by Dr Pepper, has stirred a controversy among creationists who charge that the ad is promoting evolution. Although all are entitled to their opinions, it’s hard to see any ethical issue here; after all, could Dr Pepper have wanted to upset those who hold to creationist views? If so, we could discuss the intent to do ill as a moral issue. Instead it seems that the agency who created the ad merely wanted to convey the message that sophisticated people drink Dr Pepper, and the image of the evolution of humans was simply used symbolically to get that point across.
That the ad was able to generate controversy is certainly understandable in this age of political correctness and how quickly negative response can spread. As the website AdFreak pointed out “Once again … it goes to show how protests can spread like wildfire in social media, where outrage — and counteroutrage — are just a click away.”
What do you think?
Media Ethics Report 