good product, bad name

[cathou]

Do you know products that are good, but that happen to have a very bad name ? Often those products are an exemple of bad marketing research, because they did a bad localisation of a product name.

one exemple is a toothpaste in the 60's that was called "Cue" be colgate. Cue in English is something quick, something that have a good sense. Now, they released it in France, without changing the name. Not only Cue is a french porn magazine, but also Cue have the same sound that the french word for... ass. hey, let's brush your teeth with some ass !

lately in my job as an IT, we received a batch of thin client. (it's a very small computer,that only serve as interface, you work on a virtual desktop). Those thin Client come from a German company that named their product Igel. apparently in german an Igel is a hedgehog. the logo reming you of the naimal, and it's small but intelligent. it's a good name. In french when you read Igel, it litterally sound like "it freeze" i really want to work with a computer that freeze often !

did you seen other exemples of that near you ?

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

Any machine called Nova. In Spanish it's homophonous with the phrase "no va", which translates to "doesn't work/go". I think there's a famous example of a car with that name that sold very poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because of this.

 

[Itdoesthatsometimes]

I recall going to a fast food restaurant late one night and changing my order last minute, because I did not want to say out loud, "I want the ultimate sausage sandwich". Which sounds a lot like:

"If I give you money can you give me two cocks please? I desire to be in the middle of a good time with two cocks tonight, and I did not have two cocks at home, so it is completely reasonable that I came here to buy cocks. Don't judge me...You're the one selling the stuff. Just give me the cocks, take my money and shut up! Who are you to smirk about what I put in my mouth? You know what fuck this, go get your manager."

 

[Private Custard]

Any machine called Nova. In Spanish it's homophonous with the phrase "no va", which translates to "doesn't work/go". I think there's a famous example of a car with that name that sold very poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because of this.

We in the UK called it the Nova, however, the Spanish ended up calling it the Corsa. I'd always wondered why!

 

[sandykumar]

according to county wise the meaning of the words is different so,company management have to take care about all those thinks then only they can survive

 

[Queen Michael]

The Hitler Rapemeister. Worst name for a candy bar ever.

 

[K-lusive]

Any machine called Nova. In Spanish it's homophonous with the phrase "no va", which translates to "doesn't work/go". I think there's a famous example of a car with that name that sold very poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because of this.

I heard the Mazda Laputa never even sold in Spain..

 

[1Life0Continues]

In Australia, Mitsubishi sells a big 4x4 named Pajero.
...
Amusingly, if you drive one of these monstrosities in a city and never take it offroad, then a Pajero is exactly what you are.

 

[MrFalconfly]

Well, with "socialism" being a dirty word in the US, Socialized Healthcare was never really gonna take off over there, no matter how much better it is compared to the shambles they have.

 

[Gladion]

The Cat Lady. By god, what a name. It's a good game, though.

 

[Verlander]

C'mon, no one's gonna mention the Wii?

 

[CpT_x_Killsteal]

Allow me to present to you...

The best way to make an American's jaw drop.

 

[1Life0Continues]

Allow me to present to you...

The best way to make an American's jaw drop.

Oh man, the reaction many people have to that brand is amazing.

From Wikipedia:
"Coon cheese is named after its American creator, Edward William Coon"

Still upsets a lot of people.

 

[JayRPG]

Allow me to present to you...

The best way to make an American's jaw drop.

This is my favourite reaction to coon cheese

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpirW1Vbz1o

 

[Johnny Novgorod]

In Australia, Mitsubishi sells a big 4x4 named Pajero.
...
Amusingly, if you drive one of these monstrosities in a city and never take it offroad, then a Pajero is exactly what you are.

Pajero means "wanker" in Spanish

Any machine called Nova. In Spanish it's homophonous with the phrase "no va", which translates to "doesn't work/go". I think there's a famous example of a car with that name that sold very poorly in Spanish-speaking countries because of this.

I heard the Mazda Laputa never even sold in Spain..

Yeah, Laputa never does very well.

 

[Carrington666]

A couple of years ago, the German company Trekstor decided to release a new model in their "iBeat" series of MP3 players. They decided to name it the "Blaxx" after its "elegant black piano finish".
And nobody in charge thought that "iBeat Blaxx" was a bad name...

http://gizmodo.com/293667/trekstor-renames-ibeat-blaxx-after-a-bit-of-self-flagellation

 

[Shoggoth2588]

You know how the Xbox brand is basically poison in Japan? Well, over there the letter X is almost always used in a negative sense. The Xbox and Xbox 360 were great consoles but in Japan, they might as well have called it the Wrong-Box or, the anti-games console.

 

[The Eupho Guy_v1legacy]

I was in Darwin a few years back and somewhere I saw an ad for a company that dealt with emptying septic tanks and such things. The name of the business? Dick's Pumping Service. Yeah...

In Australia, Mitsubishi sells a big 4x4 named Pajero.
...
Amusingly, if you drive one of these monstrosities in a city and never take it offroad, then a Pajero is exactly what you are.

I saw a Pajero (the vehicle, not a person) in Salamanca a while back while I was on a study tour. I got some very strange looks from the rest of my group when I burst out in laughter when I saw it.

 

[Prime_Hunter_H01]

You know how the Xbox brand is basically poison in Japan? Well, over there the letter X is almost always used in a negative sense. The Xbox and Xbox 360 were great consoles but in Japan, they might as well have called it the Wrong-Box or, the anti-games console.

They could have always called it the Cross Box.

I remember I read about Ikea having to rename a bed called Gudvic in Germany, because even though it is named after a town in Sweden, It sounds like "Good Fuck" in German. Which when you think about it, might actually be a really good name for a bed. Unfortunately this model was a kids bed.