Pepsi Launches YO SUMO (I Add Up/I Count) to Showcase How Latinos Are Refreshing the Landscape of the United States

Eva Longoria Parker to Direct Documentary Featuring Inspiring Latino Experiences

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Mar 29, 2010, 02:37 ET

PURCHASE, N.Y., March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Pepsi today announced the official launch of YO SUMO, an initiative created to show the world the incredible contributions that Latinos have made to the United States. In the spirit of the 2010 Census, Pepsi is encouraging Latinos to go beyond being counted and begin "to count" by sharing the experiences that have helped shape the landscape of this great country.

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To accomplish the YO SUMO mission, Pepsi partnered with renowned actress and humanitarian Eva Longoria Parker to produce and direct a documentary that presents the Latino identity from a fresh point of view. Longoria Parker has been widely recognized for bringing attention to a host of causes and projects important to the Latino community.

"I can attest to the unique ways in which we, as Latinos, enrich this country with our contributions and compel people everywhere to progress and succeed. As such, I'm honored to be a part of such an important and relevant project," said Longoria Parker. "I believe that every Latino has an impact, however big or small. Now more than ever, it's time to help tell the stories that make this community admirable, to inspire others to be seen, be heard and be counted."

Latinos from all parts of the country can be part of the documentary by simply sharing their story on www.pepsiyosumo.com. Longoria Parker will personally select the people who will be portrayed in the film and work with them to bring their story to life through her unique vision.

"Pepsi's YO SUMO program creates a space to celebrate the power of the Hispanic community, while shining a light on the beauty of individual people," said Frank Cooper, chief consumer engagement officer, PepsiCo Beverages Americas. "We are fortunate to have Eva Longoria Parker bring her vision, creativity and sense of purpose to this project."

To help spark interest and encourage the Latino community to participate in the program, Pepsi is also partnering with Telemundo Communications Group across all of its multi-platforms -Telemundo Network, mun2, Telemundo stations and its digital properties- to invite Latinos to join YO SUMO through its top national and local shows. Dieste, the lead creative agency for YO SUMO, created commercials in English and Spanish for TV, as well as a full digital campaign for the website and Facebook. In addition, NaCo, a popular clothing company of Mexican origin, contributed the exclusive design of the YO SUMO t-shirt.

Visit www.pepsiyosumo.com for more information on YO SUMO and submit your story for a chance to be in the documentary. For daily updates on the program's progress, join the Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/PepsiYoSumo and/or follow @PepsiYOSUMO on Twitter.

About Pepsi

Pepsi is a product of PepsiCo Beverages Americas (PBA). In addition to the Pepsi trademark, the PBA portfolio includes the Mountain Dew, Sierra Mist and Mug trademarks in the carbonated soft drink category. PBA is a division of PepsiCo, which offers the world's largest portfolio of billion-dollar food and beverage brands, including 19 different product lines that each generates more than US$1 billion in annual retail sales. Our main businesses – Frito-Lay, Quaker, Pepsi-Cola, Tropicana and Gatorade - also make hundreds of other nourishing, tasty foods and drinks that bring joy to our consumers in More than 200 countries. With annualized revenues of nearly US$60 billion, PepsiCo's people are united by our unique commitment to sustainable growth, called Performance with Purpose. By dedicating ourselves to offering a broad array of choices for healthy, convenient and fun nourishment, reducing our environmental impact, and fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace culture, PepsiCo balances strong financial returns with giving back to our communities worldwide. In recognition of its continued sustainability efforts, PepsiCo was named for the third time to the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index (DJSI World) and for the fourth time to the Dow Jones Sustainability North America Index (DJSI North America) in 2009. For more information, please visit www.pepsico.com.

SOURCE Pepsi