Almost all the brands that will be discussed in the top are known to a wide range of Russian consumers. After all, these brands actively advertise their products and services on television, on the Internet and even spotlight their products in the cinema.
But sometimes the advertising company of the product is a failure for the viewer, or does not go to specific countries. In more detail about unsuccessful attempts to advertise the goods we will tell in our top.
10. Coca-Cola with tadpoles?
Coca-Cola Company is widely known around the world for the production of carbonated soft drink. About the drink of the same name was heard by 94% of the population of the whole world, and each of those reading this article at least once tried Coca-Cola to taste, is not it?
The drink is actively advertised in all countries, despite its wide popularity. In 1928, a small embarrassment awaited an advertising campaign in China. Just a literal translation of the brand name into Chinese characters sounds like: "Bite the wax tadpole."
Chinese marketers had to change the original brand name so that the consumer read the name of the drink as: “A mouthful of happiness.”
9. Be careful: they will bite off your fingers!
KFC - the famous American fast food, standing on a par with such restaurant giants as Mcdonalds and Burger King. Failure this time was not waiting for advertising, but the slogan of the restaurant. And the case again occurred in China, or rather, in the capital of the state - Beijing.
In the late 80s, KFC opened their first restaurant in China, but the original slogan, translated into Chinese characters, rather scared than attracted visitors. Indeed, instead of the American: “Finger lickin’ good ”(“ So delicious that you lick your fingers ”), Chinese citizens read the threat that their fingers would bite off at the restaurant. These are the difficulties of translation.
Maybe this was one of the reasons for changing the slogan? Now we know KFC for its concise “So good!”.
8. A handle that does not leak and does not make you pregnant
The famous Parker pens, whose prices range from budget (1,500 Russian rubles) to jewelry brass pens (44,000 Russian rubles). At the beginning of its promotion on the market, the pen manufacturing company emphasized that their products would not confuse the owner with an ink stain on their clothes, because Parker pens do not leak. That is, they can be carried without fear in a pocket of a jacket or trousers.
However, the encouraging slogan in English sounded very awkward when translated into Spanish. Because the word "embarrass" ("embarrass") in Spain was translated as "embarazar" ("pregnancy").
It was then that the Spaniards were warned that they would not get pregnant from Parker pens.
7. Drink beer and suffer from diarrhea
Coors is a United States brewing company. It is well-known in the world for its Coors Light beer. It is about this drink that will be discussed.
The slogan of the advancing company at the beginning of the way sounded like “Turn It Loose,” which roughly translates as “relax,” “let go” (problems). But in Spanish, this expression reads like a curse: "Suffer from diarrhea."
Of course, Spanish consumers were at a loss.
6. Paper napkins or brothel?
Puffs is famous in America for its soft paper towels. But when it came time to expand the boundaries of the market and win the love of customers outside their home country, the company faced a number of problems. And difficulties arose in the untranslatable brand name. The fact is that the word “Puffs” in Germany is a jargon, which the natives call brothels. And in England, this word can offend a man, because this is a nickname for homosexuals.
5. Bad tongs
Clairol is known worldwide as a manufacturer of cosmetics and perfumes. The company's products are very popular in the USA, once Clairol presented Mist Stick curlers. In Russian literally, the phrase sounds like “fog sticks”, but in Germany the word “Mist” means “litter, dung”.
So the name of the product does not bode well for the German buyer, only some sticks (“Stick”) from manure (“Mist”).
4. A false promise from Pepsi
Once again, the global brand has faced translation difficulties in China. The original slogan of the Pepsi company sounded in the original as follows: "Brings You Back To Life" (which literally means: "We bring you back to life").
Difficulties arose during the translation of the slogan into Chinese characters, and the final phrase sounded like the promise of Pepsi to bring back the ancestors of the Chinese inhabitants.
Embarrassment to laugh at. However, the people of China are very religious and reverent about the topic of death and the afterlife, because a mistake in the translation served to reduce sales of carbonated drink in China.
3. Is there any milk?
A harmless question: "Do you have milk?" the association of milk producers asked in their commercials. The fact is that in hot California in the early 90s, demand for dairy products fell sharply. Then the association turned to an advertising agency with a request to increase sales of cow's milk in the state.
The advertising campaign was so successful that it spread around the world, and problems arose at the stage of promoting the benefits of milk in Spain. The fact is that literally the phrase "Got Milk?" sounds like a question, are you a nursing mom?
A little personally, agree?
2. Small car or manhood?
In the early 70s, the famous Ford company introduced new small cars to the world. The vehicle was popular, but sales in Brazil were at zero.
When the company preoccupied with why small cars are not bought in a hot state, it turned out that in the Brazilian dialect Pinto (the name of the car) means a tiny size of a male member.
1. Fly naked on airplanes
In the late 70s, Braniff Airlines presented leather-covered seats for first-class aircraft cabins. The product tagline encouraged passengers to fly in leather (“Fly In Leather”), but in Spain, the slogan rather called for flying naked.
Complete unsanitary conditions!