CorpComms Magazine

1) Avoid names that are simply bad

A name is bad if by using it the product, brand name or corporate title is denigrated. In Japan, there is a brand of soft drink called Calpis Nude. It is, perhaps, not an ideal name to use should the company decide to launch in the UK market. Don't just assume local names will travel well - check them out.

2) Avoid names that confuse

A name may meet every other criterion but, due to culture, product qualities or its position in the market place, still confuse its intended consumer. In his famous Berlin speech in 1963 US President John F Kennedy finished with an effort to identify with the long-suffering inhabitants by announcing to his audience, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.' Unfortunately, and unknown to the president, he was telling everyone he was a doughnut, a Berliner being the popular name for a local pastry.

3) Take care with construction

The use of straplines, mottos and logos is becoming increasingly common, as is the general view that these should remain in their original language - but this can lead to problems. Even well-established companies make mistakes: Electrolux, the Swedish white goods company, used the strapline Nothing sucks like an Electrolux to great effect when promoting a vacuum cleaner across Europe but was a laughing stock when it used the same line for the US launch where 'sucks' means 'is very bad'.

4) Remember words change with speech

Several years ago I was in Copenhagen having dinner with a local businessman when he asked me if I liked 'earrings'. I replied that they looked nice on women but would never wear them myself. He looked rather puzzled. I later found out that in Scandinavia the word for herring, the popular oily fish, is pronounced like 'earring'. Foreign accents and dialects can play havoc with the pronunciation of English words, and vice versa.

5) Avoid names that sound like something else

Although a name in itself may check out successfully, it might sound similar to other words that are inappropriate. Some years ago, a major food manufacturer launched a packaged vegetable called Surprise Peas. This generated jokes in England, but it was a lot worse in Europe when the brand managers heard the phonetic rendition, which sounded like 'surprise piss'. Linguistic checking should cover lateral checks to highlight any conflicts or potential for confusion.

6) Steer clear of the unpronounceable

Many languages have an alphabet and a pronunciation that make the reading of English words difficult or practically impossible. All words in Japanese end in either a vowel sound or the letter 'N', for example, so it makes sense to choose a name that follows this convention. There are also examples closer to home. The silent letter 'H' in French is a good example, making it not such a good idea to launch a product in France that has a name starting with 'H'. Similarly, Germans find the letter 'W' hard to pronounce.

7) Avoid cultural faux pas

Every country has its own culture, and any clash with it can cause problems. This includes shapes, colours, numbers and even animals. For example, you should never use the colour yellow when targeting Arabian markets as yellow carries connotations of insincerity and cowardice. In the West, the number seven is considered lucky, in China, six and eight. In Northern Ireland, the colours orange and green should be avoided as they carry divisive political connotations.

8) Beware of names not fit for purpose

Image is everything, and a name must fit easily into its intended market. A foreign company launching a new luxury car in the UK called the Jalopy, for example, would be inappropriate. A non-English speaker would be unaware of these negative connotations.

9) Steer clear of local jargon and slang

When the BBC sold the television rights to EastEnders to the US, it had to provide US viewers with a dictionary explaining some of the words, phrases and slang that US viewers found confusing; it ran to nearly 700 words.

10) Take time to get it right

Choosing your words for international marketing is more complex than you think. Spend time and resources to get it right, checking for all the angles outlined above, as well as such factors as religious or political connotations. Choosing names, straplines and logos is not a task for a Friday afternoon meeting. The price of a mistake can be very, very high - so consider taking the advice of a name-checking expert.

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