Brand blunder

Last updated

The French fizzy drink brand Pschitt, meant to evoke the sound of opening a soda can, may have other connotations in English. Pschittbottle.jpg
The French fizzy drink brand Pschitt, meant to evoke the sound of opening a soda can, may have other connotations in English.

A brand blunder is an error associated with the branding of a product, especially a new product in a new market. Reasons for such slips include the lack of understanding of the language, culture and consumer attitudes in the new market.

Contents

There are numerous examples of brand blunders in marketing history; there are also numerous urban legends surrounding brand blunders, where there is little evidence of an actual blunder.

International branding issues

Problems with international product branding are often associated with the process of language localisation, in which the product brand name or advertising slogan carries a different meaning in the language of the target market. [1] In addition to linguistic aspects, issues of cultural sensitivity can affect the success of a brand. [2]

This is a risk faced by companies entering a new market. In international marketing, a brand name must be distinctive and easy to pronounce across multiple markets, but it must not have unintended negative or obscene connotations. This risk is usually mitigated by factoring cultural research into a branding strategy. [3]

True cases

A Colombian van branded with Bimbo bread Carro Bimbo en Cucuta.jpeg
A Colombian van branded with Bimbo bread

Examples of brand names which have proved unsuitable for use in most English-speaking countries have included: [3]

Brand names and advertising campaigns which have proved controversial throughout their existence have included the following instances:

The Toyota MR2 sounded unusual in French Toyota MR2 rear 20071002.jpg
The Toyota MR2 sounded unusual in French

The internet

The rise of the internet has provided new ways for marketers to interact with the public. The resultant seemingly trial-and-error attempts to capitalize on new technologies have resulted in some of the most public brand blunders in recent memory.

Urban legends

Urban legends about brand blunders are popular, because they use familiar urban legend motifs such as the incompetent corporation or the ignorant foreigner. Often the reality is far less dramatic, and the stories, which are even retold in marketing textbooks as cautionary tales, are rarely backed up by researched data about sales.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Advertising</span> Form of communication for marketing

Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to present a product or service in terms of utility, advantages and qualities of interest to consumers. It is typically used to promote a specific good or service, but there are a wide range of uses, the most common being commercial advertisement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Motor Company</span> South Korean multinational automaker

Hyundai Motor Company, often referred to as Hyundai Motors, and commonly known as Hyundai, is a South Korean multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Seoul, South Korea, which was founded in 1967. Currently, the company owns 33.88 percent of Kia Corporation, and fully owns two marques including its luxury cars subsidiary, Genesis, and their electric vehicle brand Ioniq. The three brands altogether make up the Hyundai Motor Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Doritos</span> American brand of flavored tortilla chips

Doritos is an American brand of flavored tortilla chips produced by Frito-Lay, a wholly owned subsidiary of PepsiCo. The concept for Doritos originated at Disneyland at a restaurant managed by Frito-Lay.

Advertising slogans are short phrases used in advertising campaigns to generate publicity and unify a company's marketing strategy. The phrases may be used to attract attention to a distinctive product feature or reinforce a company's brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kleenex</span> Brand name for a variety of paper-based products

Kleenex is a brand name primarily known for their line of facial tissues. Often used informally as a genericized trademark for facial tissue, Kleenex is a registered trademark of Kimberly-Clark applied to products made in 78 countries. The brand has other paper products like napkins and toilet roll.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Snickers</span> Brand name chocolate bar

Snickers is a chocolate bar consisting of nougat topped with caramel and peanuts, all encased in milk chocolate. The bars are made by the American company Mars Inc. The annual global sales of Snickers is over $380 million, and it is widely considered the bestselling candy bar in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rinso</span> Brand name of laundry soap

Rinso is a brand name of laundry soap and detergent marketed by Unilever. The brand was created by Robert Spear Hudson and originally branded Hudson's Soap, which was sold to Lever Brothers of Port Sunlight, England, in 1908. It was introduced in the United States by Lever Brothers Company in 1918.

DoubleClick Inc. was an American advertisement company that developed and provided Internet ad serving services from 1995 until its acquisition by Google in March 2008. DoubleClick offered technology products and services that were sold primarily to advertising agencies and mass media, serving businesses like Microsoft, General Motors, Coca-Cola, Motorola, L'Oréal, Palm, Inc., Apple Inc., Visa Inc., Nike, Inc., and Carlsberg Group. The company's main product line was known as DART, which was intended to increase the purchasing efficiency of advertisers and minimize unsold inventory for publishers.

In advertising and marketing, foreign branding is the use of foreign or foreign-sounding brand names for companies, goods, and services to imply they are of foreign origin, generally to make them appear to come from a place that seems attractively fitting, or at least exotic. It may also be done if the country of origin has a poor image, in order to make customers believe that a company and/or its products originate from a country seen more favourably.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pepsi Max</span> Sugar-free cola

Pepsi Max is a low-calorie, sugar-free cola, marketed by PepsiCo as an alternative to Pepsi and Diet Pepsi, except for Norway, where it is the main Pepsi flavor. Pepsi Max is available primarily in Asian, European and Australia/New Zealand markets. While Pepsi Max was released in April 1993, it did not become available in the United States until 2007. In the US this different product was renamed Pepsi Zero Sugar in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cheetos</span> Brand of corn puff snack food

Cheetos is a crunchy corn-cheese puff snack brand made by Frito-Lay, a subsidiary of PepsiCo. Fritos creator Charles Elmer Doolin invented Cheetos in 1948, and began national distribution in the United States. The initial success of Cheetos was a contributing factor to the merger between The Frito Company and H.W. Lay & Company in 1961 to form Frito-Lay. In 1965 Frito-Lay became a subsidiary of The Pepsi-Cola Company, forming PepsiCo, the current owner of the Cheetos brand.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mello Yello</span> Soft drink

Mello Yello is a highly caffeinated, citrus-flavored soft drink produced, distributed and created by the Coca-Cola Company that was introduced on March 12, 1979, to compete with PepsiCo's Mountain Dew.

Indonesian slang vernacular, or Jakarta colloquial speech is a term that subsumes various urban vernacular and non-standard styles of expression used throughout Indonesia that are not necessarily mutually intelligible. Regional slang from the capital of Jakarta, based on Betawi language, is however heavily exposed and promoted in national media, and considered the de facto Indonesian slang. Despite its direct origins, Indonesian slang often differs quite significantly in both vocabulary and grammatical structure from the most standard form of Indonesia's national language. These expressions are neither standardized nor taught in any formal establishments, but rather function in daily discourse, usually in informal settings. Several dictionaries of bahasa gaul has been published. Indonesian speakers regularly mix several regional slangs in their conversations regardless of origin, but depending on the audience and the familiarity level with the listeners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicotine marketing</span> Marketing technique

Nicotine marketing is the marketing of nicotine-containing products or use. Traditionally, the tobacco industry markets cigarette smoking, but it is increasingly marketing other products, such as electronic cigarettes and heated tobacco products. Products are marketed through social media, stealth marketing, mass media, and sponsorship. Expenditures on nicotine marketing are in the tens of billions a year; in the US alone, spending was over US$1 million per hour in 2016; in 2003, per-capita marketing spending was $290 per adult smoker, or $45 per inhabitant. Nicotine marketing is increasingly regulated; some forms of nicotine advertising are banned in many countries. The World Health Organization recommends a complete tobacco advertising ban.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Froster</span> Iced frozen beverages

Froster is a brand of iced frozen carbonated beverage sold at Circle K in the United States, Canada, Ireland, and Lithuania.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Motor India</span> South Korean subsidiary in India

Hyundai Motor India Limited (HMIL) is the Indian subsidiary of the South Korean automobile manufacturer Hyundai Motor Company. It is the second largest car manufacturer in India.

Global advertising or international advertising consists of collecting, processing, analyzing and interpreting information. There are two main purposes of international advertising research: (1) to assist business executives to make profitable international advertising decisions for their specific products and services and (2) to contribute to general knowledge of international advertising that is potentially useful to a variety of business executives, educators, government policy makers, advertising self-regulatory organizations and others interested in understanding the process and effects international advertising.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hyundai Kona</span> Subcompact crossover SUV

The Hyundai Kona is a subcompact crossover SUV produced by the South Korean manufacturer Hyundai. The first-generation Kona debuted in June 2017 and the production version was revealed later that year. It is positioned between the Venue or Bayon and the Tucson in Hyundai crossover SUV line-up. The battery electric version called the Kona Electric was first launched in South Korea during the first half of 2018 and rolled out gradually worldwide afterwards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mizone</span> Australasian flavoured sports drink brand

Mizone, also known as Mizone Sports Water, is a formulated sports drink manufactured by Frucor Suntory, a Japanese-owned beverage company operating in Australasia. The main consumer targets are generally male athletes aged between 25 and 34, and likewise teenagers who are frequently active. In China, the drink is known as Maidong (脉动).

References

  1. "Five big brand translation and localization mistakes that every business can learn from". Digital Doughnut. Communitize Ltd. 18 October 2018. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  2. Fromowitz, Mike (10 February 2017). "Hall of shame: More multicultural brand blunders". www.campaignlive.com. Retrieved 28 May 2021.
  3. 1 2 Melin, Tracy L.; Ray, Nina M. (1 December 2007). "Emphasizing Foreign Language Use to International Marketing Students: A Situational Exercise That Mimics Real-World Challenges". Global Business Languages. 10. New Initiaitves, Article 3: 19. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  4. Elliott, Mark (2010). CultureShock! Belgium: A Survival Guide to Customs and Etiquette. Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd. pp. 139–140. ISBN   978-981-4484-25-1.
  5. "Ad campaigns that go wrong". SFGATE. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  6. "What Forced Rolls-Royce to Rethink The Name "Silver Mist"?". The Sunday Times Driving. 6 June 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. Beach, Hannah. "The Hilarious Translation Mistake KFC China Made With Its Slogan". Mashed. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  8. "Incubus Shoe". Snopes.com. 26 July 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  9. Weight Watchers Rethinks Its Duchess Of York Campaign
  10. Fergie Ads Pulled by Weight Watchers
  11. Starbucks' 'Collapse into Cool' Campaign
  12. Ransom-Wiley, James (18 August 2005). "Potentially offensive DS dictionary set for release". joystiq.com. Archived from the original on 21 December 2007. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  13. "15 Video Games With The Dumbest Names Imaginable". www.ebaumsworld.com. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
  14. Sony ad provokes race accusations Archived 24 June 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  15. Is this offensive to you? The Lilith Effect
  16. Gillies, Rob (6 August 2008). "Greyhound scraps ad campaign after Canada bus beheading". USA Today. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  17. 'Bullet in the chamber' Nike ad pulled from Oscar Pistorius' website Archived 28 February 2013 at the Wayback Machine
  18. "Why Honda Didn't Call The Fit – Jazz By Its Intended Name…". Carscoops. Retrieved 2 February 2023.
  19. Fitta blev dyr affär för Honda
  20. Sánchez, Dr Yvette; Brühwiler, Dr Claudia Franziska (28 August 2015). Transculturalism and Business in the BRIC States: A Handbook. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN   9781472444011 . Retrieved 21 March 2017.
  21. Karkafiris, Michael. "Grab It By The Kona: Why Hyundai Might Want To Change Their New SUV's Name". CarScoop. CarScoop. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  22. "Arti kata Konak - Glosarium Ilmu Pengetahuan Terlengkap". www.serbatahu.com.
  23. Roberts, Tanya (1 July 2019). "Five brand globalization blunders to learn from". Red Lorry Yellow Lorry. Retrieved 4 August 2023.
  24. Miličić, Mladen (26 October 2021). "Jesi li pokupio kugu ili predao mito?" [Have you caught the plague or paid a bribe?]. Večernji list (in Croatian). Zagreb. Retrieved 6 June 2022.
  25. "How this cute Ikea doll became a symbol of protest in Hong Kong". that's Online. Archived from the original on 13 December 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2014.
  26. Chan, Yuen (9 December 2013). "IKEA Toy Wolf Becomes Unlikely Anti-Government Symbol in Hong Kong". Huffington Post . Retrieved 11 December 2013.
  27. McBain, Sophie (10 December 2013). "How Lufsig the cuddly wolf became a Hong Kong protest symbol – A short lesson in the art of mistranslating names into Chinese." Archived 30 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine The New Statesman.
  28. Weir, Andy. "Dell 'Peju' Windows tablet breaks cover". Neowin. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  29. Opam, Kwame (11 July 2011). "Dell's 10-inch Sperm Tablet Will Run Windows 7". Gizmodo. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  30. "Ini Dia Asal Usul Nama Dell Peju". detikinet (in Indonesian). Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  31. "Tech in Asia - Connecting Asia's startup ecosystem". www.techinasia.com. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  32. Nelson, Dean (29 August 2012). "India's Jewish community condemn 'Hitler' clothes shop". The Daily Telegraph . Archived from the original on 30 August 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  33. "The French cheese that means "rotten" in Farsi". The France 24 Observers. 26 April 2010. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  34. Matyszczyk, Chris. "Nokia's Lumia means, um, 'prostitute' in Spanish". CNET. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  35. Matyszczyk, Chris. "Apple's Siri is Apple's buttocks in Japan". CNET. Retrieved 13 October 2019.
  36. "Definition of "Nikah" in KBBI" (in Indonesian). Retrieved 1 December 2019.
  37. Hoffmann, Martin (20 February 2018). "Darum hat eine WWE-Show zwei Namen" [This is why a WWE show has two names]. Sport1 (in German). Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  38. "Heinz calls Mayochup meaning in Cree an 'unfortunate translation'". CBC. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 22 May 2019. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  39. Ekawati, Arti. "Kini... Kontool Tahu Mengapa Perusahaan Startup Harus 'Berpikir Besar'". Deutsche Welle (in Indonesian). Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  40. Untari, Pernita Hestin (3 September 2019). "Perusahaan Asal Jerman 'Kontool' Bakal Ganti Nama Jika Masuk Pasar Indonesia". OkeZone (in Indonesian). Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  41. Salsabila, Annisa Putri. "Bang Jago Ternyata Bukan Cuma Meme, Tapi Beneran Ada Bank Bernama Bank Jago di Indonesia". HAI Online Magazine (in Indonesian). Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  42. Andreas, Kevin (5 October 2020). "Siap Bang Jago: Dikenal Sebagai Meme, "Bank Jago" Ternyata Betulan Ada!". USS Feed (in Indonesian). Retrieved 5 April 2022.
  43. "Adidas apologises for 'you survived Boston Marathon' email". BBC News. 19 April 2017.
  44. "TELASO - Vitamore R&D Ltd. Trademark Registration". USPTO. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  45. "Telaso 30W LED Flood Light, 2 Packs IP66 Waterproof, 2700Lm Outdoor Super Bright Security Lights, 6000K Daylight White, 240W Equivalent,120 Beam Angle Backyard Lights for Party, Garden, Lawn, Yard". Amazon. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  46. "Telaso iPhone SE 2020 Case 8 Bling depot 7". www.emplavisudoeste.com.br. Retrieved 11 April 2022.[ permanent dead link ]
  47. "Arti Pantek dalam Bahasa Gaul yang Viral di TikTok, Begini Makna Pantek Sebenarnya". Jatengnews.id. 6 March 2022. Retrieved 11 April 2022.
  48. 1 2 3 "Selain Kontool, Nama 6 Perusahaan Dunia Ini Bikin Geleng-Geleng". liputan6.com (in Indonesian). 3 September 2019. Retrieved 12 October 2021.
  49. Wuthrich, Stefan. "GoBlog's Pull Request #40: Issue With Project Name in Indonesia". GitHub . Jan-Lukas Else. Retrieved 24 April 2024.
  50. "Memex - iTempo - koran.tempo.co". Tempo (in Indonesian). 20 February 2015. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  51. "Memex Diklaim Bisa Kalahkan Google, Bukan Jorok Ya!". hitekno.com (in Indonesian). 1 August 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2020.
  52. Suhartadi, Imam. "Perang Tarif Telekomunikasi akan Rugikan Operator". Beritasatu.com. Beritasatu. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  53. Writer, Anonymous. "Esia Tantang Buktikan Tarif GSM Mahal". inilah.com. Inilah Media. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  54. Writer, Anonymous. "Esia 'Bispak' Tak Mau Dikalahkan Tarif GSM". Kompas.com. Kompas. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  55. Writers, Anonymous. "'Bispak' Esia Menuai Kontroversi". detikinet (in Indonesian). Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  56. Lionardi, Rico (2010). Aspek - Aspek Etika Iklan Esia Bispak (Analisa Aspek - Aspek Etika Dalam Iklan Esia Bisa Pake Tarif Manapun (BisPak) Versi Ringgo Agus Rahman) (B. Comm thesis). Universitas Mercu Buana. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  57. Kemendikbudristek, Badan Bahasa. "Keniscayaan Kamus Urban - Badan Pengembangan dan Pembinaan Bahasa - Kemendikbudristek". Badan Bahasa Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi (in Indonesian). Kementerian Pendidikan, Kebudayaan, Riset, dan Teknologi. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  58. "Mountain Dew's 'Dub the Dew' Online Poll Goes Horribly Wrong". Time Newsfeed. 14 August 2012. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  59. Rosenfeld, Everett (14 August 2012). "Dub The Dew". Time. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  60. "Nestle Pulled A New Kit Kat Mascot Because It Looked Too Much Like Pedobear". Business Insider. 19 July 2012. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
  61. "Pedobear comparison prompts Nestle to pull Instagram photo for Kit Kat". Los Angeles Times . 20 July 2012. Retrieved 8 October 2022.
  62. "DiGiorno Accidentally Tried To Advertise Their Pizza In A Hashtag About Domestic Violence". BuzzFeed News. 9 September 2014. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  63. "'Snoopy' Trends On Twitter After "Racist" Franklin Armstrong Tweet Angers Charlie Brown Fans". Newsweek. 21 February 2020.
  64. "Did Baby Food Jars Horrify African Consumers?". snopes.com. Retrieved 18 October 2023.
  65. "Game over, here are the Ad Trivia Quiz answers". adland.tv. 8 April 2005. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  66. "Pepsi Brings Back Ancestors". snopes.com. 13 May 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  67. "Fast Facts: Slogans That Have Been Lost in Translation | Fox News". Fox News . Archived from the original on 17 December 2014. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  68. "The International Environment". Archived from the original on 10 May 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2014.
  69. "Bite the Wax Tadpole". snopes.com. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  70. "Nova Don't Go". snopes.com. 3 April 1999. Retrieved 29 July 2014.
  71. "La Buick LaCrosse ? Un nom pas d'Allure... | Denis Arcand | Actualités". 14 September 2009. Archived from the original on 19 December 2016. Retrieved 6 January 2015.
  72. "The racy photo that's got Puma steamed". 15 April 2003. Archived from the original on 26 March 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2013. Puma's Problem The racy photo that's got a sneaker company steamed
  73. Fake Puma Ad Mystery Solved Archived 4 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  74. The Ice Cream For Pedophiles Archived 4 March 2016 at the Wayback Machine
  75. 'Lickable' Breyers Ad Archived 5 July 2014 at the Wayback Machine
  76. Sexually Explicit PUMA Ads Are Fake, Company Says Archived 7 September 2016 at the Wayback Machine