Brand Blunders

Having conducted many brand naming assignments over the years I understand the need to thoroughly research names and their intended application, particularly if they are to represent a company or its products and services beyond the market from which they originated. Here the name is at the mercy of different languages, customs, behaviours, superstitions and folklore. Sometimes it's just the absence of common sense. Sometimes it's a calculated gamble by the company to avoid paying what can be significant fees for naming and language research and trademark checks. It's one thing to avoid infringing someone else's copyright, it's another to prevent you and your products being ridiculed.

See what you think...

Listed below are selected brand-related blunders sourced from various websites...

The name Coca-Cola rendered phonetically in Chinese can sound like the words for 'bite the wax tadpole' or 'female horse stuffed with wax'.

Electrolux managed to successfully sell its vacuum cleaners in the UK with the advertising slogan 'Nothing sucks like an Electrolux'!

'Come alive with the Pepsi Generation' in Taiwan loosely translates as 'Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave'.

Car manufacturers seem to feature prominently in the blunder stakes...

Why did Honda name their small car Jazz? In Asian markets it was known as Fit which they were to release as the Fitta in European markets. Sadly 'fitta' is a crude reference to female genitalia in Swedish and Norwegian.

The Chevrolet Nova wouldn't sell too well in Latin America, probably because its name 'no va' in Spanish means 'won't go'. It was also alleged that the Ford Pinto in Brazil was soon renamed Corcel when it was discovered that 'pinto' translates as 'tiny male genitals'.

Daihatsu named one of their less successful models Town Cube,

Mazda Bongo Friendee Auto Free Top didn't make very many friends.

Honda has a StepWGN and a Comfortable Runabout Vehicle.

Isuzu Bighorn was rather suggestive.

The Rolls Royce Silver Shadow was almost named Silver Mist, which translates as 'organic fertiliser' in German.

And the car that has now achieved icon status in Australia, the Nissan Cedric (not far behind the Leyland P76).

Daihatsu's Opti Aerodown Beex was quite a mouthful.

But the award goes to... the Subaru Sambar Dias II Picnic-Car Astonish.

US brewer Coors lost out in Spain where its 'Turn it Loose' campaign came out as 'get diarrhea'.

There is a drink called SARS sold in New Zealand.

In Poland Osram translates as 'I'll shit (on something)'.

A Japanese top guitar band was named Thee Michelle Gun Elephant.

Standard Oil Company renamed itself Esso in the US and Enco everywhere else in the world, until its Japanese colleagues confided that 'enco' translates as 'stalled car'.

There is a chocolate bar in Germany called 'Zit'.

People of Spanish origin in Australia are quite amused by the Mitsubishi Pajero which translates as a vulgar term for a masturbating man.

On packaging for a Rowenta iron - 'Do not iron clothes on body'.

In Spanish speaking markets Parker Pen intended to use the slogan 'it won't stain your pocket and embarrass you'. This was translated as 'it won't stain your pocket and get you pregnant'.

Jolly Green Giant in Arabic means 'intimidating green ogre'.

The name Gerber, of baby food fame, means 'to vomit' in French.

There is a brand of cigarettes in Malawi called 'Life'.

A French soft drink is called Sic.

There is a Japanese sports drink called Pokari Sweat.

The US appetite-suppressant candy in the 70s/80s called Ayds.

A children's cough medicine from Boots had on its label 'Do not drive a car or operate machinery'.

In China the old Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan 'finger licking good' translates as 'eat your fingers off'.

Puffs tissues from the USA tried to sell its product in Germany only to be told that its name translates as whorehouse.

Schweppes Tonic water in Italy got translated as Schweppes Toilet Water.

When Sharwoods launched its cooking sauce brand 'Bundh' it didn't realise that 'bundh' in Punjabi has the English meaning 'arse'.

A famous drug company marketed a new remedy in the United Arab Emirates. To avoid any mistakes they used pictures. The first picture was of someone not looking too well, the next picture showed the person taking the medication and the last picture showed them looking well. Oh dear, what they forgot is that people in that part of the world read from right to left!

Bacardi concocted a fruity drink with the name 'Pavian' to suggest French chic ... but 'Pavian' means 'baboon' in German.

I guess this all points to having the good sense to thoroughly research industries, markets, countries, cultures and languages and to choose your naming consultants well. They have a big job to do. And it isn't getting any easier out there.

Happy naming.
Tony Heywood

Tony Heywood is a Fellow of the Design Institute of Australia, founder of Heywood Innovation in Sydney Australia and joint founder of BrandSynergy in Singapore.
tony@heywood.com.au
www.heywood.com.au

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