Pepsi changed its spelling to Pecsi in Argentina to accomodate the local idiom, a humble and wise move that is refreshing to see.
According to Ad Age:
“Pecsi” is an easier pronunciation given Spanish phonetics, and it sort of comes naturally. According to a recent survey, 25% of the population says it that way. So BBDO Argentina came up with the idea of simply making “Pecsi” the spelling and launched an integrated campaign to support it. The motive was clear: to get closer to consumers, by including those who weren’t pronouncing the name of the brand correctly…
You may recall the maxim “you don’t own your brand, your consumer does.” Sometimes that’s a bunch of crap, but not this time. Hats off to BBDO and Pecsi.
What a sensational bit of PR for Pepsi. It really is hats off time. When you see a huge corporation change its identity to satisfy a part of its world market, it is a great demonstration of how it is connecting with its consumers. It will be interesting to see how it effects its market share in Argentina and other Spanish-speaking nations, or perhaps more appropriately, how big its increase will be.
what’s next? instead of COKE why not COOK?