How many times have you flipped through a novel rolling your eyes over the number of typos and mistakes the publisher and printers left behind? Now imagine taking those typos, tossing in a few cultural misunderstandings and sticking them up on a nationally and/or internationally publicized marketing campaign! Stay tuned for the world’s best examples of why you need to research and proofread your business marketing materials before you send them to print.
An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish market which promoted the Pope’s visit. Instead of “I saw the Pope” (el Papa), the shirts read “I saw the potato” (la papa). http://tiny.cc/89don.
Hope you brought your sunblock! When one IKEA store launched their in-store café, customers were amazed when they read the writing on the wall: “IKEA has everything under one roof, even desert! Available in the IKEA Restaurant located at the end of the showroom.”http://tiny.cc/z42e9
In an Addams Family moment, Gerber discovered that in Africa, most people really did judge a jar by its cover.
The town of Round Up welcomed home their troops in style: With a bright red Budweiser banner proclaiming “Here’s to the Hereos! Round Up Welcomes You.” http://tiny.cc/znhb1
Um, what? Sign on a pizza shop downtown: “Tuesday and Wendesday Large Chesse Pizza $7.95”. http://tiny.cc/z42e9
And absolutely nothing replaces a good dictionary…A trip by a Courtesy Auto Care revealed a bright and enterprising young fence that fervently proclaimed, “Artificial Intellgence is No Match for Natural Stupidity.” http://tiny.cc/kxcc0dboji
As seen on a Google business card: “Dr. Eric Schmidt, Chariman of the Executive Committee” http://tiny.cc/z42e9 (Hmmmm…I wonder what that job description looked like…)
And, my personal favorite…
When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the U.S., with the beautiful baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the label of what’s inside, since most people can’t read English! http://tiny.cc/89don.