Colombians have recently been getting increasingly agrivated with the frequent incorrects spelling of their native country, Colombia. The frustration of the citizens of this country have sparked a media campaign which stresses the importance of the correct spelling of the country.
Although this is a common error and is made by many, Colombians have had enough. According to an article on CNN's website,
"Now, a group of marketing-savvy Colombians, spurred by the government's public relations arm, have launched a social media campaign to set the record straight."
The frequent error has left many Colombians both amused and annoyed.
"Colombia is where famed artist Fernando Botero hails from; Columbia is a university in New York."
Many confuse the spelling, especially in the U.S., due to the Ivy League Universty in Manhattan, Columbia. Colombians want to stress the importance of the spelling in order to emphasize the contributions that Colombia makes to the world, such as their delicious coffee and famous artists.
"A Facebook page for the campaign has been gaining upwards of 1,000 followers a day with a flurry of humorous and creative photos bringing attention to the Colombia/Columbia confusion."
The campaign creates a humorous approach which highlights Colombians' exasperation, yet does not exactly show signs of anger. It's a fun way to get the point across and educate people. Many respond well to humor, not anger, and this approach is sure to catch the eye of many.
The facebook page is a great idea because of the influence that media has on society. It will be hard to ignore the page, and news of the campaign and the page is sure to spread quickly. Soon, not many will be making the same spelling error.
The campaign's intent is not only to correct the silly spelling error, but to also promote what Colombia has to offer to the rest of the world. The founders of the campaign hope to promote tourism and investment that will help boost their economy.
"The campaign is lighthearted, but has a serious mission behind it -- to use the spelling lesson as a door for people to reacquaint themselves with modern Colombia. Organizers hope the effort eventually will parlay into real economic opportunities, be it through tourism or foreign investment."
Some Colombians are concerned that many people get the wrong impression of Colombia, probably due to it's reputation in the drug industry. Aside from that, Colombia is really only well known for it's coffee.
Carlos Pardo, a vice president of Colombia-based Zemoga, a digital services company with many U.S. clients has said,
"People outside of Colombia, especially in the United States, have a wrong impression of what Colombia is."
The campaign aims to end this false impression and give people a better and more positive understanding of what Colombia can produce and offer to the rest of the world.
According to an important media forum in Latin America, NBCLatino,
"“We saw this common error and realized it was a platform to start updating the world’s vision of what is happening in our country,” says Emilio Pombo, one of four founders of the “It’s Colombia, NOT Columbia” social media campaign. “We currently have great things happening. Colombia is becoming a destination and getting on the world stage. We want to spotlight that and it all starts with people spelling our country’s name right.”
The Washington Post emphasizes the use of several internet media outlets, especially Twitter, that help to promote this campaign. Tweets such as the one below help to humorize the situation and spread the word.
@shakira‘s hips are from Colombia, not from Columbia! #itscolombianotColumbia on.fb.me/UHKMjV twitter.com/OdeColombia/st…
— Colombia (@OdeColombia) February 12, 2013
(CNN.com, "It's Colombia, not Columbia," http://www.cnn.com/2013/02/20/world/americas/colombia-not-columbia)