Have a Pecsi: BBDO Argentina tweaked the venerable brand to suit local market tongues and tastes.

The 1985 New Coke launch taught soft drink makers and marketers the risks inherent in tampering with the real thing. Amazing then, that PepsiCo green-lighted a Buenos Aires ad agency’s proposal last year to actually change the name of their world-famous brand.

The idea? Like Nike and Levi’s, Pepsi is one of those U.S. brand names that often proves problematic for native Spanish speakers. In Argentina, the pronunciation usually sounds more like “Pecsi,” so the creative minds at BBDO Argentina reasoned, why not change the name to suit local tongues and tastes? The gamble paid off.

The “Pecsi” campaign, which brought the brand closer to Argentine consumers, was just awarded the Grand Prize at the Wave Festival, the most competitive showcase of Latin American advertising creativity. Another top prize went to Argentina’s Del Campo Nazca Saatchi & Saatchi for their successful Chocolatometer campaign for Cadbury. The creative spots feature a chocolate meter mirroring female emotional reactions to romantic situations.

While positive stimulation raises the chocolate bar repeatedly, a George Costanza-like gaffe on the part of the male ultimately leaves the Chocolatometer empty. The tagline: A Man Will Never Be As Good As A Whole Cadbury. Perhaps another sign of global ad spend recovery, AdAge says there were 40% more entries at this year’s Wave Festival which just wrapped up in Rio. (Full article)

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