Global brand expansion is a big and risky step that requires a lot of research and cultural adaptation. When it comes to localization, it is in your best interest to work with resident experts who will do trademark research for you to ensure that your brand resonates with local cultural beliefs and traditions.
Unfortunately, some brands had to burn their fingers before learning this lesson. Indeed, you might find it interesting to read our list of 10 epic marketing translation mistakes by big brands.
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Coca Cola
The favourite drink of young and old around the world had a hard time establishing itself on the Chinese market. Especially after it became clear that depending on the dialect the brandās name translated into either āBite the wax tadpoleā or āFemale horse stuffed with waxā.
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Pepsi
The expansion on the Taiwanese market proved to be an obstacle for the biggest rival of Coca Cola ā Pepsi. The brandās slogan āCome Alive with the Pepsi Generationā was translated as āPepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Graveā.
Also Read: 10 Big Brands with Hindi Taglines
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KFC
KFC is yet another big name that got lost in the translation. The brandās famous slogan āfinger-lickin’ goodā took a wrong turn and was translated as āeat your fingers offā in Chinese.
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Puff
The famous American tissue brand found out the hard way that their name would not fit into the German market since in German āpuffā is a slang word for brothel.
Also read: 10 Untranslatable German Words
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Pampers
Cultural beliefs happened to be the stumbling block for Pampersā launch in Japan. In Europe the image of a stork bringing a newborn baby is extremely common, however, in Japan, this is not the case. So when the brand used an image of a stork in its Japanese advertisement, it caused a lot of confusion among Japanese customers.
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Vicks
The German language played a cruel trick on the American brand Vicks. The brand overlooked a very prominent feature of the language – āvā is pronounced as āfā. So when reading the brandās name in German, it sounds like the German word for sexual intercourse.
Also Read: Top Global Brands with Exceptional Localization Strategies
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Electrolux
The Swedish home appliances manufacturer Electrolux once launched an advertising campaign in the US for their vacuum cleaners under the slogan āNothing sucks like an Electroluxā.
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Mercedes-Benz
Car manufacturers would usually try to reassure their customers of the safety of their cars. Mercedes-Benz once, however, unintentionally did just the opposite. The brand was renamed Bensi when it expanded to China which turned out to mean ārush to dieā.
Also Read: How To Localize Your Website For China
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American Motors
When in the 1970s American Motors released the Mediator, the model didnāt enjoy great success in the Spanish-speaking world. The reason – in Spanish the name means ākillerā.
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Chevrolet
Chevrolet is yet another car manufacturer which also had an amusing mishap with the translation of one of its models. When the company introduced their Chevrolet Nova in Latin America, no one took into consideration the fact that nova means āno goā in Spanish.
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