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A lot of brands dream of global domination, becoming a worldwide leader in their specific field and being the go to place for their products and services around the world. Having a brand that is used in every country, however, can create substantial difficulties, and lots of brands have fallen foul when they haven’t ensured due diligence when deciding or modifying their brand and product names abroad.
As you are well aware there are many different languages, and as English is widely spoken by the majority of the world, this often leaves us a little more ignorant than our foreign counterparts who can easily converse in various languages with such skill that we are left bemused and slightly embarrassed. A story from marketing week out today proved that even huge corporations can find it difficult to make successful global brands in the linguistically diverse world we live in.
Kraft
Food giant Kraft launched a new product in Germany last week following an intensive development plan and campaign. Confident in the name chosen for the global snack business, Kraft incorporated Monde (the Latin word for world) and Delez (meaning delicious). Mondelez was set to be a brand new area for profit for the company.
Despite an extensive due diligence test (according to Kraft) and a large number of focus groups conducted to ensure that name was completely right. Somehow the fact Mondelez means oral sex in Russian seemed to slip through the next. With potentially damaging results for the company, not only in Russia but also around the world, as more and more people discover the true meaning behind Mondelez. Due diligence is very important in order to ensure that a situation such as this do not occur, and you keep a sterling reputation.
Kraft is by no means the first company to make such marketing blunders and is not going to be the last. Only last year, Nokia’s latest mobile phone model named Lumia was deemed inappropriate for Spanish speaking nations when it came out that the word Lumia was a commonly used slang term for prostitute.
With mistakes such as these being so seemingly commonplace, here is Xposure’s list of product name translations that have left brands in a bit of a pickle.
Brands often experiment with new slogans to sell their products in different countries, but sometimes a literal translation doesn’t quite have the same meaning…
Parker Pen
Parker Pen had the slogan “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you”, but the team behind the translation mistook the verb “embarazar” to mean embarrass when in fact it means to impregnate. Resulting in the phrase “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant”, as the brand’s catchphrase, which is probably not the slogan they were after.
Pepsi
Pepsi had a few issues (and a few scared customers) when the slogan “Pepsi brings you back to life” was literally translated into Chinese to “Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead”. Which is actually a scary thought.
Clairol
When Clairol launched a curling iron for the ladies of Germany called “Mist Stick”, the sales didn’t quite match what they had predicted. Following a little research into what went wrong, it transpired that the product name they had chosen when translated into German was “Manure Stick” and consequently the German’s weren’t too keen to purchase. Which actually isn’t too surprising.
Chevy
Chevy released their iconic Nova in Mexico and Spain to some initial reservations as “Nova” literally translated into Spanish means “Doesn’t go”. Not really what you want in your new vehicle now is it?
Wii
One that gets me everytime, but a product that doesn’t seem to have been affected particularly by bad translation is the “Wii”. For us in the UK, a child shouting “I want a Wee” means something completely different, and definitely not the latest games console. So maybe there’s something to be said about naming your product so that it has the shock factor.
So as you begin to bring your brand into markets across the world, it might be a good idea to give your brands and products a quick once-through Google Translate, to make sure that is isn’t too controversial.
Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead? on Prezi
