Colombian Duo Takes Creative Approach On Misspelling of Their Country's Name

Let's talk about Steve Harvey's big mistake the night of the Miss Universe pageant.

Nope, I'm not talking about crowning the wrong contestant which caused some seriously awkward moments on stage and anger on social media.

I'm talking about this mistake:

Twitter/IAmSteveHarvey

Not only did he misspell Philippines, but he also made the all too common mistake of spelling the name of Colombia (the country) with a "u."

Harvey isn't the only one — celebrities like Justin Bieber and Paris Hilton have spelled Colombia wrong.

Even companies like P.F. Chang's, Virgin Mobile and Starbucks have misspelled the country in press releases.

That's why Emilio Pombo and Carlos Pardo launched a campaign and merchandise company called " It's Colombia Not Columbia " with the hopes that they can finally get people to own up to this careless mistake and correct themselves.

"It's an error that's committed everyday," Pombo said to the Miami Herald . "I don't think we'll ever be able to eliminate it completely."

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But even some people in Colombia feel Colombians are just being too sensitive.

"Colombia as a country is suffering from low self-esteem and it's paying far too much attention to what other countries say about it," said Alejandro Giraldo, who works in media relations at the Javeriana University in Bogotá.

Overly sensitive or not, the duo is getting a great response. They say they're selling almost $15,000 worth of "It's Colombia Not Columbia" merchandise a month, struggling to keep some products, like baseball caps, on the shelves.

"We never intended for this to be a business, we always wanted this to be a campaign about a concept," said Pardo. "The business has been an accident — but we're happy that it's happening."

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So let's clear up some common o/u mistakes:

• Colombia : Country at the northern tip of South America; people from there are called Colombians.
• Washington, D.C : The District of Columbia, capital of the United States of America.
• Columbia University : Private Ivy League school in New York.

Clear? Let's get it right.

And if you are Colombian, wear it proud !