Mistakes in Marketing North American Products

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1. What are some documented mistakes made in the past in marketing existing North American products to international markets? Be sure to cite specific companies and include web links or books you used in your research, if available, so others may become familiar with these resources. Do not use the classic example of Chevy Nova (nova meaning "no-go").

There are some well-documented mistakes in the past in marketing existing North American produces to national markets. Mistakes could be one linked to a lack of cultural and language sensitivity of the new international market. For example, according to "Introduction to Asian Translation," the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" was translated "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back from the dead" in Taiwan (see http://www.star-ts.com/STAR/download/pdf/documents/asia.pdf, p.4).

When companies decide to translate their company slogan or the name of the product, they must ensure that there are no slang translations, which can lead to embarrassment. An example of this is where cultural and language differences caused a problem for Coca Cola Inc. For example, in China Coca-Cola initially translated their name as Ke-kou-ke-la. Sadly they failed to check that this means "bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax" depending on the dialect of Chinese. However there was a happy ending as it was re-interpreted as kokou-ko-le "happiness in the mouth" (see http://www.star-ts.com/STAR/download/pdf/documents/asia.pdf, p.3). Therefore, marketing research is essential before marketing your goods to foreign lands and cultures. Other cultural differences that are potential problems if not addressed include:

? Religious differences. They may offend some ...