Question

Topic: Branding

Brand Name Negative Connotation In Latin America

Posted by Anonymous on 2/23/2006 at 12:00 PM ET 125 Points
My company is currently expanding to the Latin American markets. One of our leading brands when pronounced and written in Spanish is very close to a well known extremely negative slang word.

What are the implications of changing the logo and brand name to the equivalent translated word in Spanish so that the brand would communicate the same meaning in Latin America as it does in North America.

The logo for this brand is basically an artistic representation of the typed out English word. My main concern is that translating the brand name will then in effect change the look of the logo somewhat.

I know that this sort of re-branding occurs with homologation in automobiles and other products where the actual model name varies from country to country depending on the targeted connotation.

This is new to me though, and I am looking for any advice or experience that the group can offer.

Thanks,

Dave
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by Corpcommer on 2/23/2006 at 2:17 PM Accepted
    DDEANSLO,

    I agree with TruProphet about trying to change the brand name since introducing a negative connotation would most likely harm your business. Knowledge of topic and culture of geographical locations you are in or working in must be kept in mind to help you succeed in those markets.

    I read a book that might be helpful, "Do's and Taboos Around the World." It has useful information for when you meet people in other lands -- talks about customs, habits and just some interesting stuff that might be handy to have. Sometimes a decision isn't yours to make, and your dept./company could suffer when the other direction is taken.

    In my capacity as a branding professional for a global company a while back, I advised depts. and vendors on how to use the corporate logo, so either I or my manager had to approve mockups (banners to golf towels -- you name it!) before items were made. While reviewing an employee publication in preprint stage, I advised the exec to remove a graphic that is an offensive symbol in some cultures. It could have been replaced with something else, although wasn't necessary from a communications standpoint. Anyway, my advice was declined.

    The exec decided to keep the graphic on the front cover, the pub. was printed and there was quite an uproar among some staffers. Morale was affected unnecessarily.

    Good luck.
    MC
  • Posted on 2/23/2006 at 4:13 PM Author
    Hello Corpcommer and Truprophet,

    Thank you for the advice and reference materials. The product category that I am working with is eyewear and often times sells on the brand name.

    Our sales force has reported that the Latin American customer often places a perceived value on products carrying a foreign name when coming from places like the USA, Italy, France, etc. (more prestige in having an imported product).

    In this case, I am weighing the value of the US name vs. the negative connotation that might come from a misunderstanding of that name. Do you have any experience with where I will get the most value, or vice verse, loose the least impact.

    Thanks,

    Dave
  • Posted on 2/25/2006 at 6:37 AM Accepted
    Hi Dave,

    I think you just about answered your own question, and you already know what to do. They are looking for an imported name ... give it to them! Where do you think Haagen Daaz is from? It sure ain't from Germany, Switzerland or Sweden. See:

    https://www.haagendazs.com/coibrh.do

    The name was purely invented to give it an imported feel.

    But don't give them a name to laugh at. Would you buy "Crotch Eyewear"? I lived in Spain for a while, but spent a lot of my time growing up near hispanics in Colorado. My guess from those experiences is that they will be very careful to pick a brand name that their friends will think is sexy.

    You are starting from scratch with this name in Latin America anyway, start from a strength, not a weakness.

    I hope I was not too brash with my statements here, but having these things in a certain perspective can help alter a viewpoint.

    Cheers!
  • Posted on 2/26/2006 at 4:43 PM Author
    Hello Made,

    Not brash at all, just the type of straight forward comments I was looking for. I was stuck in the mindset of going one direction or the other (either sticking with our already successful US brand, or branding with Spanish name of a similar meaning).

    I allowed myself to get trapped in the box instead of stepping outside and entertaining a third option that is a hybrid and eliminates both issues. Excellent advice.

    Thanks for the kick start in what should have been an obvious direction from the start.

    Best,

    Dave
  • Posted on 2/26/2006 at 4:59 PM Author
    All,

    Thank you for your support and advice. I will take all of your comments into consideration when formulating my final strategy for launching our product in Latin America.

    I could have researched this in various periodicals, on the web, books, etc., but it was much quicker and interesting to receive your comments which helped me confirm my current ideas and provided me with some new direction that I had not previously considered.

    This is the first question I've posted on the forum and the open and insightful advice confirms my belief that marketingprofs.com is an excellent resource.

    I look forward to future conversations and I hope to some day provide you with some advice or ideas that will help in your future projects.

    Best,

    Dave
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