Problems with Wrong Brand Names

‘Colgate has launched a toothpaste called ‘Cue’ in France. But ‘Cue’ was the name of the notorious Pornography magazine in France. ‘Reebok suffered a marketing debacle when it launched the Incubus women’s running shoe in 1997. Because Incubus was a mythological hero who raped women while they slept.

‘Ford’s Pinto model did not reach the desired sales figures in Brazil. Because in Brazil, the word pinto slang meant ‘small male organ’. Ford had the Pinto brand removed from all its cars and printed the name Corcel, which means ‘Horse’.

‘Mitsibushi had to change the model name of its 4×4 vehicle in Spain. Because Pajero means masturbation in Spanish.

‘Beko means light woman in Russian. How much do you think it cost them that the team that created the Beko, who thought that Arçelik was handicapped abroad as a name, did not investigate its suitability for Russia (Russian) right next to us?

It will be difficult to bring ‘Fakir’, the German brand of industrial and household cleaning machines, into homes in Turkey. (Currently Fakir is not targeting households anyway)

‘Why do you think our first hardware store hypermarket ‘Götzen’, of German origin, could not hold on in Turkey? (He didn’t eat to go to the butt.)

‘What do you think are the chances or bad luck of the Tüylüoğlu Bakery?

‘ Is the butcher chain ‘Shalwarli Meat’ selling shriveled meat? If not, why would their meat be baggy?

“Gotu Kolla” is the Latin name for a medicinal plant. Can you sell an herbal medicine with this name to the Turks? (But there are those who try to sell)

“One reason Schlotzskys Dell has failed is its name. It is difficult to pronounce, difficult to understand, difficult to write.’ (Al Ries sings) Why do you think Isizu, Daihatsu and Suziki have been holding back for years?

‘Commercial Union started to grow rapidly after Aviva changed its name.

‘Internazionale shortened its name and made Inter.

‘Güllüoğlu has to create a new brand for abroad. See; Lalin.

‘ When General Motors named a new Chevrolet ‘Baretta’ without permission from the Italian arms manufacturer, the lawsuit cost General Motors $500,000.

‘Harlem Savings Bank of New York, as it grew, opened branches both in Harlem and outside of New York. When they realized they had got their name wrong, they changed their name to Apple Bank with an additional cost of 10 million dollars.

‘House&Garden, which started publication in the early 1900s, was a very popular garden magazine. Over time, success spoiled them. They changed their name in 1987. They became ‘HG’. After the name change, the downfall began. Fortunately, they realized their mistake before it was too late. They reverted to their old names in 1993. Now they are at the top again.

‘The Shawshank Redemption is one of the best movies you can ever watch in your life. He also got an Oscar. Unfortunately, this movie, which cost 27 million dollars because its name was poorly chosen, only made 18 million dollars at the box office. It was released in Turkey with a better name. ‘The Price of Bondage’

‘If Yataş, who started his business life by producing and selling mattresses, could predict that he would enter the furniture industry one day, do you think he would name it Yataş?

‘Teleset, which started its business life by producing and selling TV stands, do you think is now a furniture brand or a telecommunication brand?

After reading the above information, we can classify naming errors as follows.

Pişti names: These are the names that are put without a registration search. If there is such a trademark at home or abroad and it was registered before you, you are wrong.

Turkish characters: Another issue that we should pay attention to is the applicability of the brand name in the international arena. Since it has a different structure from Western languages, Turkish makes it necessary to be more careful when choosing a brand and company name. Especially local companies that want to be a brand in the world, when naming their brands, should always choose names that are easy to spell, pronounce and write. Care should be taken as there will be problems in writing and reading the names with the letters Ç, Ö, İ, Ş, Ü, Ğ, H, V and C.

Inappropriate names: The name you put in should not have bad meanings in other languages. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to become a world brand.

Names that can’t face the future: If your name is too possessive of a category and too sharp to include other categories, you’re in trouble.

Names that are difficult to perceive: Names that are difficult to read, pronounce and write are also difficult to become world brands and to be remembered.

There are two lessons to be learned from this article; First, be very careful when naming (which I will cover in a separate article), second, don’t be a name fetishist, change your name if it’s bad. Ex:

‘The Japanese have simplified their names that are easy in their own language but cannot be pronounced by foreigners. They chose names like Panasonic and Fuji.

‘The Chinese also give themselves western names to make life easier for westerners.

Murat ŞAYLAN