Ireland Umbro
Ireland Umbro
![]() |
![]() LIMERICK FC Umbro VINTAGE Ireland PLAYER ISSUE Shirt FOOTBALL Gaelic GAA Hurling US $55.28
|
![]() CHERRY ORCHARD FC Umbro VINTAGE Ireland MATCH WORN Shirt INTERMEDIATE CUP 11 17 US $157.96
|
Top 20 Global Marketing & Communications Mistakes
Although sometimes cringe-worthy, examples of global marketing bloopers are a useful means of appreciating that we are not all the same. For any company or business conducting a marketing campaign abroad they must take linguistic and cultural variations seriously.
Below we have provided a top 20 Marketing & Communications Bloopers from across the globe.
1) The Japanese company Matsushita Electric was promoting a new Japanese PC for internet users. Panasonic created the new web browser and had received license to use the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker as an interactive internet guide. The day before the huge marketing campaign, Panasonic realised its error and pulled the plug. Why? The ads for the new product featured the following slogan: "Touch Woody - The Internet Pecker." The company only realised its cross cultural blunder when an embarrassed American explain what "touch Woody's pecker" could be interpreted as!
2) The Swedish furniture giant IKEA somehow agreed upon the name "FARTFULL" for one of its new desks.
3) In the late 1970s, Wang, the American computer company could not understand why its British branches were refusing to use its latest motto "Wang Cares". Of course, to British ears this sounds too close to "Wankers" which would not really give a very positive image to any company.
4) "Traficante" and Italian mineral water found a great reception in Spain's underworld. In Spanish it translates as "drug dealer".
5) In 2002, Umbro the UK sports manufacturer had to withdraw its new trainers (sneakers) called the Zyklon. The firm received complaints from many organisations and individuals as it was the name of the gas used by the Nazi regime to murder millions of Jews in concentration camps.
6) Sharwoods, a UK food manufacturer, spent £6 million on a campaign to launch its new 'Bundh' sauces. It received calls from numerous Punjabi speakers telling them that "bundh" sounded just like the Punjabi word for "arse".
7) Honda introduced their new car "Fitta" into Nordic countries in 2001. If they had taken the time to undertake some cross cultural marketing research they may have discovered that "fitta" was an old word used in vulgar language to refer to a woman's genitals in Swedish, Norwegian and Danish. In the end they renamed it "Honda Jazz".
8) American Motors tried to market its new car, the Matador, based on the image of courage and strength. However, in Puerto Rico the name means "killer" and was not popular on the hazardous roads in the country.
9) Proctor & Gamble used a television commercial in Japan that was popular in Europe. The ad showed a woman bathing, her husband entering the bathroom and touching her. The Japanese considered this ad an invasion of privacy, inappropriate behaviour, and in very poor taste.
10) Leona Helmsley should have done her homework before she approved a promotion that compared her Helmsley Palace Hotel in New York as comparable to the Taj Mahal--a mausoleum in India.
11) A golf ball manufacturing company packaged golf balls in packs of four for convenient purchase in Japan. Unfortunately, pronunciation of the word "four" in Japanese sounds like the word "death" and items packaged in fours are unpopular.
12) Pepsodent tried to sell its toothpaste in Southeast Asia by emphasizing that it "whitens your teeth." They found out that the local natives chew betel nuts to blacken their teeth which they find attractive.
13) A company advertised eyeglasses in Thailand by featuring a variety of cute animals wearing glasses. The ad was a poor choice since animals are considered to be a form of low life and no self respecting Thai would wear anything worn by animals.
14) The soft drink Fresca was being promoted by a saleswoman in Mexico. She was surprised that her sales pitch was greeted with laughter, and later embarrassed when she learned that fresca is slang for "lesbian."
15) Kellogg had to rename its Bran Buds cereal in Sweden when it discovered that the name roughly translated to "burned farmer."
16) When Pepsico advertised Pepsi in Taiwan with the ad "Come Alive With Pepsi" they had no idea that it would be translated into Chinese as "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the dead."
17) Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish where its translation was read as "Suffer From Diarrhea."
18) Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken" was translated into Spanish as "It takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate."
19) Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno mag.
20) During its 1994 launch campaign, the telecom company Orange had to change its ads in Northern Ireland. "The future's bright … the future's Orange." That campaign is an advertising legend. However, in the North the term Orange suggests the Orange Order. The implied message that the future is bright, the future is Protestant, loyalist... didn't sit well with the Catholic Irish population.
About the Author
David Arnold is a writer with an interest in marketing and communications across linguistic and cultural barriers. As well as private work and research he also assists companies with their multilingual marketing campaigns and strategies.
|
|
Ireland $6 Ireland |
|
|
Umbro Geometra Woven Pants $14.99 Umbro Geometra Woven Pants |
|
|
Umbro U144 $161.85 Umbro U144 Eyeglasses for Men are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Brown, Silver. The style is Oval and the frame material is Memory Metals. Umbro U144 Combinations. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U909 $158.85 Umbro U909 Eyeglasses for Men are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Brown, Gray/Gunmetal. The style is Oval and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U909 Rimless. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U133 $161.85 Umbro U133 Eyeglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Blue, Brown. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U133 Metal. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U126 $167.85 Umbro U126 Eyeglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Blue. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Plastic. Umbro U126 Children's. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U132 $155.85 Umbro U132 Eyeglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Gray/Gunmetal. The style is Oval and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U132 Plastic. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U910 $149.85 Umbro U910 Eyeglasses for Men are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Brown, Gray/Gunmetal. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U910 Combinations. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U907 $149.85 Umbro U907 Eyeglasses for Men are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Blue, Brown. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U907 Metal. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U912 $155.85 Umbro U912 Eyeglasses for Men are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Blue, Brown. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Plastic. Umbro U912 Plastic. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U134 $161.85 Umbro U134 Eyeglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Blue, Brown. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Plastic. Umbro U134 Plastic. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U135 $170.85 Umbro U135 Eyeglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Blue, Brown, Gray/Gunmetal. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U135 Rimless. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U124 $170.85 Umbro U124 Eyeglasses for Unisex are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Brown. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U124 Children's. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro U145 $161.85 Umbro U145 Eyeglasses for Men are available at BestBuyEyeglasses.com in the following colors: Black, Blue, Gray/Gunmetal. The style is Rectangle and the frame material is Metal. Umbro U145 Combinations. These frames accept prescription lenses. |
|
|
Umbro England Home Youths Shirt $12.99 Umbro England Home Youths Shirt |
|
|
Umbro Rangers Baby Home Kit $4.99 Umbro Rangers Baby Home Kit |
|
|
Umbro Manchester City Youth Away Shirt $14.99 Umbro Manchester City Youth Away Shirt |
|
|
Umbro Youths Glasgow Rangers 2010 3Rd Shirt $4.99 Umbro Youths Glasgow Rangers 2010 3Rd Shirt |
|
|
Umbro Rangers 2010 Youths Away Shirt $3.99 Umbro Rangers 2010 Youths Away Shirt |
|
|
Umbro Rangers 2010/11 Home Youths Shirt $4.99 Umbro Rangers 2010/11 Home Youths Shirt |
|
|
Umbro Manchester City Youth Home Shorts $5.99 Umbro Manchester City Youth Home Shorts |
|
|
Umbro Official Rangers 2011 Youths Home Shirt $12.99 Umbro Official Rangers 2011 Youths Home Shirt |
This entry was posted on Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 at 1:45 am and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.



US $29.99












































































