Company Errors
In my management class, we have been discussing the importance of understanding other cultures in today's global economy. The importance of understanding other peoples languages is key to effective advertising. In the textbook, we read the Chevy marketed its popular NOVA car to Spansih countries. The Nova which means, "no go" in Spanish, struggled to gain the same popularity as it did in the states. IKEA, a Swedish company which is known for some of its strange product names, has sold a children's bed which they label the "Gutvik." Gutvik, however, means "good fuck" in German and understandably, some people have been upset. Finally, sometimes even words in people's own language can have negative connotations and as a result, they struggle to gain popularity. When Toro introduced its SnowPup, a lightweight snowblower, customers did not but it because they perceived the name as a toy. When Toro changed its name to Snow Master, sales increased sharply.