10 Advertising Blunders Due to Language Differences

With global brands, the issue of homogenization of the brand communication into the local language (specially in Latin America and East Asian countries) is of critical importance. But when such brands ignore proper research or are simply careless, the mistakes that happen are often quite hilarious, even though they are unintentional.

Given below are ten such blunders;

1. PEPSI - Come alive with the Pepsi generation

When Pepsi used their slogan, Come alive with the Pepsi generation in Taiwan by literally translating it, they didnt know that the literal translation of the slogan meant, Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead!
They soon realized their mistake and the campaign didnt last very long.

2. Coca Cola Ke-Kou-Ke-La

Coca Cola is famous for its mistakes in the eastern countries like China and Taiwan. In China, when Coca Cola had to translate its name in Mandarin, they chose KeKou-Ke-La, very unwisely because it meant, bite the wax tadpole or a female horse stuffed with wax.
Soon enough they realized their mistake and changed the translation to ko-kou-ko-le which meant happiness in the mouth. Not perfect, but much better than a wax tadpole!

3. Coca Cola Tome Coca Cola

In cuba, Coca Cola wanted to write Tome Coca Cola (drink Coca Cola) in the sky. Grand intentions there. Only they didnt take into consideration the wicked wind which blew a letter of the sign and made it Teme Coca Cola, which meant fear Coca Cola.
The company tried to rectify the mistake by producing a lithograph of bull fighting. Which turned out to be a bigger mistake because bull fighting is illegal in Cuba.

4. Mexican Food Chain Chi Chi

Chi Chis the Mexican food chain is of American origin. Perhaps thats the reason why they didnt know that Chi Chis in Mexican slang means breasts.
Interestingly another company by the name Chi Chis makes salsa and has a slogan good no matter what. The food chain had to suffer a great loss because of its name Chi Chi.

5. Mensa
Mensa, the international society of high IQ people, would probably find it difficult to be accepted in Spanish speaking countries. In Spanish, Mensa means stupid woman, quite the opposite of a regular Mensa member.
Mensa comes from the Latin word for table. In German Mensa means cafeteria.

6. KFC finger lickin good

In 2002 KFC released their slogan finger lickin good in China. Unfortunately for them, even after research, they made a translated version which meant, Eat your fingers off .
The slogan failed and they had to change it

7. Dairy Board of California - Got Milk

After the huge success of Got Milk campaign, the Dairy Board of California decided to run these ads in Mexico. But they soon realized that the Spanish translation meant are you lactating?

8. Coors - turn it loose Coors, the beer company also made a similar mistake in Mexico. They had a slogan turn it loose and when they translated their slogan into Spanish it says suffer from diarrhea. Sooner they realize their mistake and corrected it.

9. Gerber Packaging Problem in Africa

When the US baby foods company Gerber started selling their products in Africa, they adopted the same packaging design as in US, with beautiful pictures of babies on their labels. What they didnt know was that in Africa, because of non English speaking population, it was standard practice for companies to put pictures of the product ingredients on the label.

10. Ford Pinto

In South America Ford started marketing its car Pinto in 1971. It was a small car that was supposed to compete with other imported small cars in the Latin American market. But the company soon realized that in spite of its best efforts the car was not selling as it should have. Turns out, in Brazil Pinto is a slang for small penis. Now who would pay money for that!

11. Parker it wont leak in your pocket and embarrass you

Another mistake in Latin America was made by the Parker Company. While trying to market their leak proof pens, they translated their line it wont leak in your pocket and embarrass you, into something in Spanish which actually meant it wont leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.

The culprit was a single word. The company assumed embarazar meant to embarrass. But it actually meant to impregnate.