Did Walmart Promote a COVID-19 Testing Site Using a Pepsi Ad?

Walmart pulled a banner promoting a COVID-19 testing site on May 20 2020 after receiving criticism for also using the space to promote a soft drink.

A photo of the banner that has been shared thousands of times shows the mention of the site alongside both a glass with the Pepsi logo on it and the slogan, “That’s what I like”:

What absolute dystopian hell world are we living in. pic.twitter.com/Srnot6ZUji

— Firr (@Firr) May 20, 2020

“What absolute dystopian hell world are we living in,” the user who posted the photo wrote.

As the Huffington Post reported, others also knocked the use of corporate iconography in promoting the testing site. Walmart confirmed that the photograph was legitimate in a statement, saying:

We know how important access to testing is in our local communities, and there was nothing negative intended by the banner. The local teams were trying to raise awareness about the testing site in order to help more people in the community. As soon as we learned about them, it was taken down.

According to the company, it had partnered with health officials to establish 139 drive-through testing sites in 22 states as of May 15 2020.

We also contacted Walmart and Pepsi’s parent company PepsiCo for comment on the banner and its text, but we have yet to hear back.