All Things Considered, July 17, 2009 · Billboards have gone up in the last few days in Buenos Aires, Argentina, with the familiar red, white and blue Pepsi logo, but under it, the word "PECSI."
It's a classic case of if you can't beat 'em, join em: Pepsi has decided that since people in Buenos Aires have been ordering "pecsi's" at refreshments stands for decades, there's no real point in fighting them. On the billboards, under the word PECSI, are Spanish words that mean "freedom of expression" or "freedom of pronunciation."
It's a classic case of if you can't beat 'em, join em: Pepsi has decided that since people in Buenos Aires have been ordering "pecsi's" at refreshments stands for decades, there's no real point in fighting them. On the billboards, under the word PECSI, are Spanish words that mean "freedom of expression" or "freedom of pronunciation."
That's a freedom that folks in Buenos Aires take seriously. Portenos, as they're known, have been been pronouncing things unlike the rest of the world — even the rest of the Spanish-speaking world — for ages. For instance, y's and double-l's, pronounced "yuh" from Spain to Mexico, are pronounced "sshhh" here. This writer's last name, for instance, is apt to come out "Mondesshho."
So "pecsi," it has been, and now the Pepsi Company seems to be saying, "Hey call us anything you like, just drink it." Actually, Coke has a product that could have tried this same campaign: When people in Buenos Aires say "Sprite," they drop both the s sound at the beginning of the word, and the t sound at the end, so the word comes out "pri."
There's also the fact that Spanish is a consistent language in terms of pronunciation. So folks here, having learned that the words "like" and "strike" have silent e's at the end, mostly assume that the famous shoe company is called "nike." Perfectly logical. If you say you want some "nikes," people send you to a shoe store. Pecsi, as always, will get you a bubbly beverage — unless, of course, you prefer "pri."
So "pecsi," it has been, and now the Pepsi Company seems to be saying, "Hey call us anything you like, just drink it." Actually, Coke has a product that could have tried this same campaign: When people in Buenos Aires say "Sprite," they drop both the s sound at the beginning of the word, and the t sound at the end, so the word comes out "pri."
There's also the fact that Spanish is a consistent language in terms of pronunciation. So folks here, having learned that the words "like" and "strike" have silent e's at the end, mostly assume that the famous shoe company is called "nike." Perfectly logical. If you say you want some "nikes," people send you to a shoe store. Pecsi, as always, will get you a bubbly beverage — unless, of course, you prefer "pri."
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