Failed names

In the background, it was easy.It would have been enough to open the dictionary.The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines the word straw as "man who drives or carries straw from one place to another."But, as we all know, it also has another meaning: "Said of a person: that masturbates or masturbates" and, in some Latin American countries, "liar" or "person who says nonsense."All probability, in the 1980s, to the Japanese creatives of Mitsubishi, it did not occur to him to make this simple consultation, because they would have avoided falling into ridicule, at least in Hispanic countries.Fortunately, the manufacturer realized the error and replaced the incriminated name in the Latin America (which in Japanese means "Pampa cat"), with a more neutral Montero.

This mistake is more frequent than you can think. Always in the automotive sector, the mythical Mazda Laputa should be mentioned. The name was inspired by the book The Travel of Gulliver, by Jonathan Swift, and in the country of the rising sun had no negative connotation. But if you think about Spanish, it is impossible not to smile when reading the promotional text, which was as follows: "Laputa manages to improve security and interior benefits. It has an attractive style, excellent maneuverability and easy handling. The body It is designed to resist frontal crashes. " The vehicle was introduced in 1999 and was removed in 2006 (it is true that the model was essentially marketed in Asia). Curious also the case of Chevrolet Nova, which was launched in the sixties in the US and that was sold in several Latin American countries. It could be read "NO-VA", a somewhat unfortunate expression for a car, although it is not demonstrated that the misunderstanding had a very negative impact on sales. Nissan did much worse with the mucus, which was launched in 2001. It was sold only in Japan, but to avoid risky interpretations, in the end the model was renamed style.

The creatives of the car industry seem to have a problem with sex. Thus, Ford sinned of naivety when he launched in 1976 the prototype run, without thinking that the name could evocaruedos that have little to do with a bullring and that take place rather in the bedroom. Ford also had to reverse behind Two years with the Pinto (launched in the seventies), when they discovered that in one of the numerous dialects of Brazil the name meant "penis." In the South American country they marketed another version called Corcel. Another brand, same story: Do the Honda Jazz keep in mind? In some countries, such as China and Japan, it's called Fit. But its original name should have been a longer version: Fitta. The Japanese house had to reverse because the word refers vulgarly to female genitals in the Norwegian language. It would have been a choice at least daring to maintain the original approach if it is considered that the advertising motto of the model prayed: "small on the outside, but great inside." Same fate touched Opel Ascona, whose word in Portuguese means "vagina." The car firm changed it (only in some markets) for an aseptic number of four figures: 1604.

It is hard to understand, but it does not seem that the signatures have learned from these errors.Only in 2005, Buick, a brand belonging to General Motors, took the Lacrosse in the North American market.In French, this name evokes onanism, so in Canada - also Francophone - became called allure, a much more neat word.Another paw with the Frenchman occurred in the eighties with the MR2 model of Toyota.The acronym meant in English "Mid-Engine, Rear Wheel Drive, 2 Seat", that is, a medium-sized vehicle, with posterior traction and two seats.But the full name in the Gallic language, pronounced aloud, sounded "est merdeux", the equivalent of "is shit".The Japanese at the end replaced those acronyms with more brief MR.

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Are we in the field of anecdotes?Absolutely.There are also marks that remain in force and whose names, due to translation or meaning problems, awaken at least a few doubts in certain languages.Cultural misunderstandings usually occur in those companies with global aspirations.Registering a brand that is valid in the countries of the European Union usually cost about 900 euros.It guarantees a protection of ten years, which can be renewed infinitely.A community brand is in force in 28 countries and has to face 35 different languages.It is hard to find a name that fits perfectly.

It is worth the example of Nokia. In its catalog it has a model whose name, according to the SAR, literally means "prostitute": the lumia. Another successful product, such as Nordic Mist tonic, must raise some suspicion among those who speak German (in the German language it means "Nordic garbage"). And how not to mention the Wolkswagen Jetta, which in some languages ​​is translated by "throwing" or "throwing" (also in the trash). The Audi Q3 also deserves apart (it can be read in Spanish "Cutres"). There must be more than an owner of that vehicle that feels upset with this name. A profile has even been created on the Twitter social network with more than 1,000 followers whose motto is "we make strength to change it." As for the SEGA video game brand, it has had problems in Italy. The word means in Italian "straw" (in its less agricultural version). Instead of changing its name, the Japanese turned to the simplest: they promoted a marketing campaign in the country to modify their pronunciation, promoting in their ads an English phonetics "see-ga" instead of the original "Say -Ga ".

Gastronomy also gives a lot of itself. Fortunately, we talk about names with limited international presence. Mikel López Iturriaga, blogger and specialized writer, has collected a few cases to suck his fingers. For example, the four -striped wheel wine cellar is named in reference to the four municipal boundaries that divide their vineyards. Some could suspect that with that name it is easy to become addicted (the motto of the winery, which is present in many markets, is somewhat psychedelic: "Go with four stripes around the world"). In the same sector, the Italian foaming wines winery (it is the surname of the family that runs the company) is one of the most thrust in the market, not only in its country. But, with all evidence, its commercialization in Spain is problematic (its website is only in Italian, English and German). Likewise, as it is to be, the Knorr Pota soup is found only on the shelves of Japan: we would hardly see this product and with the same name in Spain if we do not want consumers to run to the sink. Ah, do you know why GERBER baby foods, a brand belonging to the multinational Nestlé, are not sold in France? Because Sutraduction to French means "vomiting" (something frequent in newborns, by the way). If they have friends or relatives in the Philippines do not continue reading because they could be offended. The multinational White King sells a pre -cooked steamed rice cake called Filipino fucking. Indeed, the fucking is a very popular dessert in this region of Asia. But perhaps the award for the most spicy gastronomic marketing campaign is taken by the Danish Danish butter cookies. In his package the phrase "Anus: Danish Fiesta" is written. More explicit impossible.

As we have seen in the previous examples, not only the oriental firms but also western brands fall into error.By ignorance or simple carelessness, marketing experts can have a bad day.Pata weathering are frequent in the Chinese market, which has a market for millions of consumers and a very complex language.Indeed, a name with Latin alphabet when pronounced in Chinese can acquire unexpected or surprising meanings.That sometimes harm, but that other cases benefit the same company (think, as an example, that the word Gao in Cantonese can refer to a dog, number nine or the sexual organ - yes, have read well -).

In a recent report in The New York Times, some case was cited. The Achinada de Reebok version is Rui Bui ("Fast Steps"); Nike's is Nai ke ("durable and persistent") while Heineken's is xi li ("power of happiness"). So far, well. Instead, Microsoft had to intervene because its bing search engine sounded like "disease or viruses" and changed it to Bi Ying ("responds without fail"). And the French automobile firm Peugeot would do well to worry: in Chinese its name sounds "Biao Zhi", a word that reminds of a dialectal form of "prostitute." Even a multinational affirmed as Coca-Cola was about to skate with the Chinese. The first version of his name was Ke-kou-ke-la. When marketing machinery was already heating engines, philologists realized that the word in the Asian language could have a somewhat ambiguous meaning, something like "mare dissected in wax" and changed to Ko-Kou-Ko-le, which means "happiness in his mouth."

The name is not everything, obviously.If the product fails, little can be done.But in the modern economy it is essential."I would even say that it is vital. It is his DNI, his identity. And, at the same time, the first blood that runs through the veins of something. The names give life and keep life alive," says Fernando Beltrán, creator of namesAs pleasant, OpenCor, the house on, tracurator, philologist and poet and author of the book The name of things (connects)."Actually, the names always had great importance, not only now, although they were much more subtle and less media. For example, Velázquez or El Greco, let's not forget, they were already great brands in their time. In their workshops they worked paintersWonderful, almost unknown, and all those paintings ended up selling with the teacher's mark. "

According to Carlos Puig Falcó, CEO of Branward (consultant who has given rise to names such as Happyjama for Dodot or Sensuave for the Flor Softener), "the name represents the beginning of the brand's verbal identity. Let's think that all the elements of thebrand they usually change over time; however, the name, except for some exceptions, is the only one that remains unchanged during product or company life. A good name facilitates the construction of an identity, and let's think that a brandIt is not a logo, but the perception that its audience has. ”

In this peculiar sector - that of Naming -, like any other, there are also trends."The brands also reflect the evolution of society," recalls Victor Mirabet, director of the consulting firm (creators of success names, such as Alvia, for the high speed of Renfe, or Free Damm, for alcohol without alcohol)."Yes, there are fashions," says Fernando Beltrán."Amena, for example, established the fashion of the female, which made the female brands later.The most technical or avant -garde sectors, which comes to show us that Latin is or was a tongue to take off the hat. Another fashion is always the English names, that the client in theory never wants, but ends many times asking you andpushing you to it ... ".

Eye, as Carlos Puig Falcó said, because a brand can last decades.To do this, it is necessary to have a certain breadth of sights when chosen.The word has to be able to adapt, if the company foresees, to future sectors or markets (the so -called brand extensions: clothing that becomes perfume or vice versa)."Also that it is a name that grows with the use, that goes more. In that sense, the words games are dangerous, they may like it a lot at the beginning, but weigh a lot behind your back over time ...", Beltrán warns.

Once we have the name you have to wait for it to work.And this will depend on the promises and expectations that the same product is able to generate.For Víctor Mirabet, he names, "a good name has to communicate the magic of the brand. That is why he must inspire, he must tell the consumer, 'this takes me somewhere.' You have to remember spontaneously."The name, ultimately, has to be up to the appointed, or vice versa."In this you can't even go on splendid," says Beltrán.Because everything has its name.TRUE?

How to succeed with the name

Creating a brand name is an art in which you have to combine different skills. Victor Mirabet, director of the consultant appoints, explains that "today you have to know about the brand strategy, to know the industrial property law, have a creative skill, carry out research on markets and products and know the cultures and languages ​​of the planet". Therefore, people with varied profiles work in your company: sociologists, anthropologists, linguists, journalists, philologists, marketing experts, creative, publicists ... "You have to soak up the product, the company, of the project to name, get to know more even that those who commission it, and not start the creative process until this happens. Because I have learned with the experience that the name is already within what you have to name; what you have to do is find it, discover it, listen to it, listen to it, Remove it to the surface ... "says poet Fernando Beltrán. Carlos Puig Falcó, CEO of Branward, remembers that once a few words susceptible to being candidates, you have to filter. "Internal lists of several dozens of names are obtained, of which we present to the client a selection on which we have made a first filtering of their possible availability in the brand records. On a third level, a linguistic control is carried out on possible negative connotations in other languages. "The ideal is that the name is represented by invented words." That has between 4 and 8 letters and no meaning in any language, "they recommend in WIPO, organization of intellectual property in Geneva. Assumption, you can choose a current word that is not invented, but applied to a sector that has nothing to do with it. Choose "apple" or "window" for a computer firm, without a doubt constitutes an original creative effort ( Apple and Windows, in the English language). How much does it cost to create a brand? It depends on many factors. The experts consulted suggest rates that can range from 5,000 to 30,000 euros or more, depending on the commission and extension (by countries and sectors) to cover. In any case, the name is not everything. Design is missing. Thus, a golden double -arc -shaped EME makes McDonald's recognizable, beyond the last name of its founders.

The ideal name

1. It evokes a unique personality and character.It must be original in its product category2.Easy to memorize.Versatile, flexible, short.It must be able to allow an extension of the brand3.You must incite action.It must inspire the consumer, stimulate desires, dreams, promises4.Easy to read and pronounceable for your audience.In many different languages5.That is valid: that is, it has not been previously used or registered by anyone else