I’m trying to sort out the consumer and the brand strategist opinions in me when it comes to Pepsi.

On both accounts, I didn’t think their recent logo redesign was needed or worth the 100s of millions of dollars to change out all the delivery trucks, vending machines etc- seems that $$$ could have definitely been put to better use. Feelings aside, that drastic vanity switch has jumpstarted  massive amounts of press, impressions, interest and debate.

But I can’t help but admire their recent risky decision in Argentina…

Argentinians tend to pronouce Pepsi as ‘Pecsi.’

To be exact, only a quarter, ok less than a quarter  24.333% of Argentinians pronounce Pepsi as ‘Pecsi.’

Nonetheless, Pepsi must have uncovered something brilliant about who comprises that 25% because Pepsi decided to roll out a campaign reinforcing the switch in pronunciation from ‘p’ to ‘c’ and the initial results are favorable.

According to AdAge,

“The campaign was launched only a few weeks ago, and the anecdotal results are already strong. Even in the highest-class neighborhoods of Buenos Aires, such as Recoleta and Palermo, where the rules of the language and intonation are typically respected, you hear people ask for a Pecsi. The kids, for instance, have found an excuse to prefer Pepsi — or, better yet, Pecsi — by playing with the pronunciation.”

Pepsi didn’t just change the name in spots & signage, they’re stoking more heat around this with Pecsipedia, “a free content wiki that, after launching with 50 initial definitions, already includes more than 1,300 words of Argentine slang such as mispronounced English words, words in English forced to fit Spanish and a few neologisms that were invented from scratch. -AdAge”

Play around on the Pecsipedia.com site. I love the illustrations. I think it’s brilliant that Pepsi started El primer Diccionario para el 100% del gente que habla como quiere. (The first dictionary for 100% of people who speak as they like.)

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I love Pepsi’s bravado on this one. It feels like they denied the beancounters who must have recoiled over the potential ramifications of openly poking fun at the iconic Pepsi name. Who cares that only 24.333% of Argentineans say it like this, I really hope this campaign continues to blow up.

I shouldn’t like it. Afterall, they are bastardizing the brand name. But it is refreshing that they tapped into a cultural truth and ran with that.  I think it helps Pepsi actually, reinforce it’s archetype as the younger, livelier brand, one that embraces change. (Alas, the early allusion to the Obama-esque Pepsi logo  comes full circle.) A perfect example of a flagship brand that’s cool with not taking itself too seriously.

The tv spot:

More here: http://adage.com/globalnews/article?article_id=137946