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Nov 20, 2013 · The tagline was supposed to be “ Assume Nothing ” – which didn’t work out in translation. The call to action became, in a number of countries, “Do Nothing,” which obviously doesn’t work out...
- A Pregnancy Preventing Pen
- Taking ‘Naked Leather’ A Little Too Literally
- Potatoes Find Newfound Fame
- It’S A Bird, It’S A Plane, It’S A … Peach?
The Parker pens translation blunder is one of my personal favorites. Who knew such a product existed! When Parker first entered the Latin American market and introduced its product, the pen advertisements were supposed to read: “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you.” However, the company had mistakenly used the Spanish word “embarazar,” t...
Another famous translation blunder occurred in Mexico in 1987. Braniff Airlinesunveiled its luxurious leather seats with the slogan, “Fly in leather.” Even though the Spanish translation “Vuela en Cuero,” was technically correct, it was almost identical to the phrase “en cueros” which means “naked.” When listeners heard the ad on the television or ...
Rumor has it that when Pope John Paul II visited Miamiin 1987, t-shirts were designed to say “I saw the Pope” in Spanish for locals and tourists alike. Instead of using “el Papa” (“the Pope”), a t-shirt manufacturer mistakenly substituted it for “la Papa” (‘the potato”). Somewhere in the creation of this t-shirt idea, the concept of the Spanish gen...
One of Procter & Gamble’s biggest advertising uh-oh’s occurred in the late 1900s when the firm introduced its Pampersbrand in Japan. The company used an advertisement that had resonated well with U.S. customers: an animated stork delivering Pampers diapers to a happy home. Unfortunately, the cute commercial didn’t even come close to hitting its mar...
- A U.S. president’s love for Poland. Our review of troublesome and hilarious translation mistakes starts with a famous speech by President Carter in 1997.
- 10 million of nothing. The HSBC bank had been using the slogan “Assume Nothing”—meaning anything and everything is possible at their bank. This expressed the company’s investment strategy and appealed to their English clients.
- Nothing sucks like an Electrolux. Swedish brand Electrolux learned the hard way that international expansion requires thorough preparation—especially in the context of content translation and localization.
- Gastronomical translation blunders. It’s all too common to find translation mistakes on restaurant menus—especially the English versions of their menus.
Aug 24, 2018 · In 2009, HSBC Bank’s global private banking enterprise ran into trouble when its five-year-old tagline, “Assume Nothing,” was awkwardly translated as “Do Nothing” in many countries. HSBC Bank apparently did nothing to ensure their slogan was properly translated in the global environment.
- American Motors. A translatable product name is an important element in global branding and can derail a marketing campaign before it even starts. American Motors made this mistake in the early 1970s by naming its midsize car “the Matador.”
- BMW. German car manufacturer BMW made the marketing mistake of improperly using the national anthem of the United Arab Emirates in one of its car commercials.
- Braniff Airlines. Braniff Airlines got in trouble in 1987 when it promoted its new leather seats south of the border with the same campaign it used in the United States: “Fly in leather.”
- Coors. American beer maker Coors discovered that slang doesn’t always translate well. When launching its “Turn It Loose” campaign in Spain, it appears that executives forgot to ensure the translation would resonate with consumers.
May 4, 2018 · HSBC bank had a famous slogan, Assume Nothing, that communicated their strategy about investment and worked well for English customers. Problems arose when they launched an ad campaign in 2009 and took their business to international markets.
People also ask
Why did HSBC use the slogan 'assume nothing'?
Why did HSBC ad campaign fail?
Did HSBC rebrand 'Assume Nothing'?
What happened to the 'Assume Nothing' campaign?
HSBC discovered this when its “Assume nothing” slogan was converted to “Do nothing” in several countries.
