Advertising This article is more than 21 years oldBad rap forces Pepsi to drop Ludacris
This article is more than 21 years oldThe makers of Pepsi have been forced to abandon an ambitious new advertising campaign aimed at racial minorities after a rush of complaints from customers.
Television ads starring the black rapper Ludacris and the Colombian-born singer Shakira began appearing in the US in June.
But the use of the controversial Ludacris, whose sexually explicit lyrics are littered with profanities and references to illegal drugs, shocked American viewers and prompted calls for a boycott of PepsiCo products.
"We have a responsibility to listen to our consumers and customers and we've heard from a number of people who were uncomfortable with our association with this artist," the company said in a statement.
"We've decided to discontinue our ad campaign with this artist and we're sorry that we've offended anyone."
Earlier this week Bill O'Reilly, host of the programme The O'Reilly Factor on the Rupert Murdoch-owned Fox News Channel, urged viewers to boycott Pepsi over its use of the rapper.
"I'm calling for all responsible Americans to fight back and punish Pepsi for using a man who degrades women, who encourages substance abuse, and does all the things that hurt particularly the poor in our society," he said.
Ludacris, who was shown performing and drinking Pepsi in the ads, is known for lyrics such as "I've got ho's in different area codes," on his 2001 album Word of Mouf.
Pepsi has traditionally opted for more wholesome music acts - such as Britney Spears and Gareth Gates - to endorse its products. But Ludacris is not the first music star to cause trouble for the soft drinks giant.
In 1989 it was forced to drop a campaign starring Madonna after fundamentalist Christians called for a boycott of the product following the controversial Like a Prayer video.
The video showed the scantily clad rock star experiencing the stigmata in the palms of her hands, kissing a black Christ on the mouth and writhing in ecstasy to the lyrics "In the midnight hour, I can feel your power".
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