Rebranding Pepsi to Spanish Speakers

Have you heard about what Pepsi is doing in Argentina and Spain?

It's pretty amazing, really. BBDO, its agency, learned that Argentines tend to say "Pecsi" instead of "Pepsi." This is something universally known among Spanish speakers. But the agency was on to something when they leveraged this insight in its marketing to consumers in that country.

Pecsi was born. I even saw a rebranded Pecsi can, but I can't be sure they took it that far.

Now they've pulled a similar trick in Spain. But there, it's "Pesi." The ad is pretty hilarious, showing a famous soccer player pronouncing it the way ... well, the way they do. Pesi. Pecsi. It's just hard to get that second "p" in there for native Spanish speakers. I have friends from other countries who say one or other other--but I don't remember hearing "PePsi" from them, ever. Just like "picsa" (pizza).

So this is key for Pepsi: Learn how your customers are talking about you. Isn't that what social media is all about, when it comes to brands getting involved? This is the same thing, from my perspective. Pepsi shed its corporate image to talk to these consumers in their language. Brilliant, in my opinion.

My caveat here is that I don't believe this approach is something that can be taken on by brands ever category. For example, picture BMW and the version I always heard in Spain, "BMV." (I never understood that, by the way. If someone could please explain, I would very much appreciate it.) I think a premium brand would dilute its strength by succombing to the populace. Brands representing consumer packaged goods on the other hand are different in their natural positioning. They often work their way into serving as everyday nouns, despite trademarking and any other efforts those brands attempt.

But in this case, Pepsi is showing consumers that their way of interacting with the brand is important to the company.

My bet is that Pepsi, or "Pecsi," or "Pesi," has achieved a special appeal to these two national audiences in a way that really resonates.

Click here for the latest article in Ad Age on this topic and to see the spot Pepsi produced for its Spanish audience.

Surprise! NOW: Another Spanish-language Film Festival!

Yes, CineSeattle's production is just behind us and, again we have a local film festival with a focus on Spanish-language pieces--this time, from Spain. The below information regarding The Festival of New Spanish Cinema is direct from our friends at Spain Association of the Pacific Northwest:

Estimados Amigos de España
I wanted to let you know that we are collaborating with the Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF) presenting The Festival of New Spanish Cinema at SIFF Cinema October 15-21.

Now on its second run, the Festival of New Spanish Cinema continues its annual celebration of films, mainly premieres in the US.With films by such veterans as Juan Luis Iborra, Javier Fesser, and Gabriel Velázquez shown side-by-side with cutting-edge debut productions from the newest generation including Albert Arizza, Irene Cardona, David Planell, Santiago Zannou, and Miguelanxo Prado, there is much to relish in this year's festival. Presenting new and outrageous interpretations of classic genres including melodrama, thriller, and animation, this year's styles range from superb examples of Spain's offbeat thrillers like Ramirez, and the brutal, wrenching fairy tales Camino and The Sound of the Sea, to socially engaged cinema like A Fiancé for Yasmina or One-Armed Trick. You can view trailers from select films online by clicking here.

As an Amigo de España, you can enjoy tickets for all the movies shown during the Festival at a discount price - $8. In order to get the discount, you just need to mention that you are an “Amigo of the Spain Association of the Pacific Northwest” at the booth. It’s that easy!


Nos vemos en el cine!
SAPN
Amigos de España


The Festival of New Spanish Cinema
Opening Night FiestaThursday, October 15, 9:30pm (immediately following the Opening Night Film, Desperate Women)The Alki Room at Seattle CenterJoin us for a special celebration in honor of SIFF Cinema's presentation of The Festival of New Spanish Cinema. Enjoy Spanish music while sipping complimentary Freixenet Spanish Cava and nosh on paella prepared and served onsite by Taberna del Alabardero. Special guest Irene Cardona, director of A Fiance for Yasmina, is scheduled to attend.

Desperate Women(Enloquecidas)Thursday, October 15, 7:30pmSaturday, October 17, 12:00 NoonThe eagerly anticipated new film from writer-director Juan Luis Iborra (Km. 0, Mouth to Mouth) follows three women trying to track down a missing lover. Blanca meets the man of her dreams, falls in love and loses him, all in one week. Then, by chance a few months later, she and her aunt Barbara (Almodóvar favorite Verónica Forqué) find a portrait of him in the house of a charming old couple. The man is revealed to be their son-who is further revealed to be long dead. Determined to learn more about the mysterious man, Blanca and Barbara begin an unpredictable and hilarious investigation. This often outrageous thriller gathers three generations of the best Spanish female actresses and some of the rarer-seen odder areas of Madrid.

A Fiancé for Yasmina(Un Novio Para Yasmina)Friday, October 16, 7:00pmSunday, October 18, 2:30pmLola loves weddings, even though her own marriage is on the rocks. She suspects that her husband Jorge has fallen in love with Yasmina (brilliantly played by Moroccan actress Sanaa Alaoui), who is in need of a visa to stay in Spain. Meanwhile, Yasmina is in a hurry to marry Javi, who proves a master of foot shuffling in his reluctance to set a date. While Alfredo is against the marriage, he'd be ready to get married for friendship.... or for money. A tenderhearted romantic story, Fiancé charts the tangled imbroglio that arises when emotional dilemmas, star-crossed relationships, and the unpredictable effects of love bring mayhem upon a group of friends. A Fiancé for Yasmina is a fresh take on the ensemble drama that swept the awards at the Malaga Film Festival as Best Film, Best Actress, and & Audience Awards. Director Irene Cardona will be in attendance for a Q&A session following the October 16 screening.

Camino Saturday, October 17, 2:00pm, Wednesday, October 21, 8:00pm A daring, compulsively watchable melodrama against religious fundamentalism inspired by real events, Camino dances, stomps, and kicks the viewer's emotions while focused on an 11-year-old girl simultaneously faced with two completely new events in her life: falling in love and dying. On his third film Fesser (The Miracle of P. Tinto, Mortadelo & Filemon: The Big Adventure) once more offers a child's perspective on the adult world. Newcomer Camacho navigates the most sophisticated cinematic ordeals with courage and bravura. In the unpleasant role of her mother, Elias fearlessly brings the viewer face-to-face with extreme fanaticism. The uncompromising script is not anti-religious, though it successfully condemns the dehumanizing effects of religious extremism. It is earmarked for media attention thanks to its biting criticism of the controversial Opus Dei movement and Catholic fundamentalism in general. Widely acclaimed at its San Sebastian debut this year, the film won six Goya awards (Spanish Academy Awards) including Best Director, Best Film and Best Original Script. Above all, Camino intertwines melodrama, horror and animation in outrageous new ways to enrich us with what is one of the most powerful Spanish films of the decade.

The Sound of the Sea(De Profundis)Saturday, October 17, 10:00amTuesday, October 20, 9:00pm Spanish graphic novelist Miguelanxo Prado, one of the best-known and important European comic authors, turns to animation with The Sound of the Sea, a simple and lyrical labor of love about freedom, passion, and loss. A woman plays the viola while her painter partner, fascinated by the sea, is away on a fishing boat. The boat is taken by a storm and, with a mermaid, he undertakes a dreamlike underwater journey through a series of evocative seascapes. The Sound of the Sea is a strange and fantastic history of love, attacking adults and infants alike. With themes brought to life by the digitization of thousands of the Helmer's oil paintings, drawings, and acrylics, it offers an ode to the ocean that feels like a return to the early principles of cartoon art. The unique film is a creative voyage of a painter, a game of metaphors, but ultimately an homage to the Sea (the real sea and its mythical qualities) that will stay with you.

The Shame(La Vergüenza)Saturday, October 17, 8:00pmMonday, October 19, 9:00pmThe feature directorial debut from the strongest emerging talent in Spain, award-winning writer David Planell boldly allows us a glimpse into the home of Pepe and Lucia, a modern and attractive couple with a big problem: they cannot handle Manu, their eight-year-old Peruvian adopted child. They soon realize the price they must pay if they want to go ahead with their brazen plan: to send him back. Planell, the director of the multi-award winning shorts (Ponys, Trivial) skillfully makes the jump from screenwriter to director, using this strong premise to tell a caustic, tender, and funny tale about doubts, paradoxes, and the wounds of an ashamed couple. The film was the top performer at this year's Malaga Film Festival.

Amateurs Sunday, October 18, 9:00pmTuesday, October 20, 7:00pm Julio Nieves is a 65-year-old foreman who has spent his entire life in the Madrid suburb of Vallecas. In the blink of an eye, he goes from contentedly facing his retirement alone to the possibility of companionship in the form of a 16-year-old girl from Marseille, who claims to be his daughter. But what if she's not his flesh and blood? And what if Nieves takes her in to ease the pain of his own solitude? How far can people go to avoid being alone?

Ramírez Friday, October 16, 9:15pmSunday, October 18, 7:00pm Ramírez is a confident loner whose fox-like ways and alluring face allows him to wander aimlessly through life. Despite a luxurious Madrid apartment and upper-middle-class status, he has chosen a life of crime. A drug dealer by day, and by night a dangerous hunter of anonymous women-objects of his perverse "artistic" tendencies. His character is shrouded in mystery although perhaps the key to unlocking it rests in his indifference to his bed-ridden mother. As his obsessions with one-night stands and photography crash together and in an unforgettable climax, he becomes a victim of his own heartlessness.

One-Armed Trick(El Truco del Manco) Monday, October 19, 7:00pm Santiago Zannou makes an impressive feature film debut in this winner of three Goya awards (Spanish Film Academy) including Best Debut Film, Best Acting, and Best Music. Paralyzed on half of his body from childhood, Cuajo has a single dream: to succeed in music. Together with his friend Adolfo, he attempts to set up a studio while gathering some of Barcelona's freshest hip-hop talent. One-Armed Trick features some of the hottest stars of Spanish rap-among them Elio Sagues, Ovone Candela, and La Mala Rodriguez and El Langui, lead singer of La Excepción, recently voted the best Spanish-language rappers on MTV.

The Running of the Bulls ... in Seattle?

Ever been to Txori? It's a cute little tapas bar in Belltown owned by the same people who brought you the famous Harvest Vine basque restaurant in Madison Valley. It's really authentic, and the food is amazing.

You've probably heard of the Running of the Bulls in Pamplona, Spain. Every day Spaniards throughout the rest of the country turn on their televisions to see who's going to make it through the winding streets without falling or getting going gored before entering the plaza, the finish line. I remember watching that each morning and the thrill of it all. Never saw it live, though. Here's our chance!

Txori is back with their Seattle version of the Running of the Bulls event, and it's a hoot! I'm copying and pasting their announcement below. If you go, please comment and tell us about your experience!

The Running of the Bulls

returns to Seattle . . .
The Festival of San Fermin is a time-honored tradition in the Basque country. You can be part of the celebration by joining us for the 2nd Annual Festival of San Fermin at Txori, July 6 through the 14th.

No San Fermin Festival would be complete without the adrenaline rush of Running with the Bulls. Join us Tuesday, July 7th at 8:00pm, and be part of our very own encierro , where human-powered “bulls” will chase participants through the alleyways of Belltown. A $20 entry fee guarantees you a spot in the Run as well as a souvenir t-shirt (with the above design). Those who arrive early will have a chance to vote on their favorite bull. We ask that you wear your best Running of the Bulls outfit (white pants, a red cap or scarf, maybe even a red sash around the waist), put on your new t-shirt, and get ready to run…

Joining us in our run, each with a bull of their own creation will be Tom Douglas Restaurants, Olivar, La Taverna del Alabardero, Seattle Food Tours, The Harvest Vine and BLA Architects.
Last year’s event was a big success, but with more bulls and more thrill seekers like yourself, this year will surely bring more laughs and excitement. If that isn’t reason enough, all the proceeds from the event will benefit the Puget Sound Blood Bank.

Call or stop by to sign up: 206-204-9771

Click here to see images of last year's fiesta. Or here to find out more about San Fermin in Pamplona, Spain.

Txoko Dinner
If Running with the Bulls isn’t for you, we are offering additional events to help Seattle celebrate

the Festival of San Fermin.

On the eve of the Run, Carolin will be hosting a Txoko Communal Dinner Monday, July 6th at 6:30pm. This special four-course dinner will be served at communal dining tables, offering guests the opportunity to experience Basque dining in a fun, familial setting. The dinner is $45 per person plus beverages, tax and gratuity. This dinner sold out quickly last year. Reservations are recommended.

Pintxo Recipe Competition
On Wednesday, July 8th through Friday, July 11th the festivities continue with the 2nd Annual Pintxo Recipe Competition. Submit your favorite pintxo recipe to the kitchen at Txori by July 1st. Come in on the 8th through the 11th to try the three finalists and vote for your favorite. The winner will be announced on Saturday, July 12th at 8:00pm . The winner will receive a basket of prizes as well as be immortalized by a plaque on our pintxo bar.

Email your recipes to info@txoribar.com or mail to 2207 2nd Ave, Seattle, 98121.