Pepsi’s campaigns have been “refreshing “ the advertising scene lately. And their hoping that their “Yo Sumo” campaign (Spanish for I count) will be no exception. According to Ad Age the campaign encourages Hispanics to “go beyond just being counted numerically and to share their experiences that have shaped the American landscape.” To do this Pepsi has enlisted the help of Eva Longoria Parker to produce a documentary from the stories posted on the website, pepsiyosumo.com. Pepsi hopes to get YAYAs to tell their stories about growing up Hispanic in America, or arriving as young immigrants. Pepsi has placed commercials on Telemundo and Mun 2 (Telemundo’s youth station).

I’m always happy to see companies that invest in advertisements that cater to diverse targets; however, while reading this article I couldn’t shake the feeling that something just wasn’t right. As I scrolled through the comments left on the article, my beliefs were confirmed. Now I’m no Spanish pro, but even I know that “Yo Sumo” sounds weird. I thought that “Yo cuento” would be the correct word and most people agreed with me. The comments ranged from anger to disbelief. Native speakers thought that the correct word was “Yo cuento” and were shocked that neither Pepsi nor Dieste (the ad agency) caught the mistake in translation. Usually “Yo sumo” means I add numbers in the mathematical sense and “Yo cuento” would be the better way to say I count or I’m of value. Although it’s not a drastic difference it could cause the meaning of the campaign to be unclear. I’m sure this won’t be the last of this debate around the correct wording. I wonder if this seemingly innocent translation mistake will hinder this campaign’s success. What do you think?

I guess none of us listened to our parents when they told us, “Don’t talk to strangers”. Conversing with complete strangers seems to be one of the most enticing things to do online these days. Enter: Chatroulette. I first heard about Chatroulette from my fifteen year-old sister. Scary? Yes. Ever since my introduction, I have heard various opinions, anywhere from intrigue to utter disgust. This game/social networking site/video chat/dating site/inappropriate way for men to talk to teenagers is growing at staggering rates and the most frequent users are…you guessed it…YAYAs. YAYA males are by far the largest demographic using Chatroulette. Is this because YAYAs have too much free time on their hands? Or are they just more interested in trying new things and meeting new people?

Created by a 17-year-old high school student in Moscow, Chatroulette has become the chatroom of the 21st Century. It is like the “Do Not Touch” shelf at that expensive store when you’re a kid; you know you’re not supposed to touch, but its so tempting that you just have to do it. It’s the risk and excitement of finding or meeting someone new that entices YAYAs to try it…at least once. It’s the surprise of the improv piano player singing a tune he made up just for you, or meeting someone you never would have met otherwise, that makes ChatRoulette one of the most visited sites by YAYAs.

So is Chatroulette just like any other Internet fad that will fade out within the year or is it really a growing phenomenon that may transform into something bigger and better? Is it a way to interact with people that you may otherwise never have a chance to meet or is it just a breeding ground for bored perverted college students? For these answers, I guess we’ll just have to wait and see. For now, go check it out for yourself, but enter with caution because you might see things that will haunt your for the rest of your life (said with a tiny bit of exaggeration).

Check out the improv piano player (possibly one of the few positive things to come from Chatroulette) here:

http://mashable.com/2010/03/15/chatroulette-piano/?utm_source=twitterfee...