Do you wear a Fanny Pack?

Undoubtedly if you’ve every been to Disneyland or on any family vacation for that matter, you’ve seen scores of parents and their kids running around with some type of funky colored “fanny pack, or should I say “body bag” ?

What?!

In a case of translation gone wrong, German speakers translate the literal translation of “fanny pack” to be “backpack” … which in German really means “Bodybag.” Some German manufacturers have tried to tap into the global fanny pack market by changing the name of their product, and as you can imagine, marketing a “Body bag” can be quite difficult.

This is just one example of cross language and culture marketing gone bad, so bad, it can even be deadly.

Is Your New Brand Taking Away From Your Old Brand’s Loyalty?

Did You Know:

In April 1985, the management of The Coca-Cola Company announced its decision to change the flavour of the company’s flagship brand. This decision was made based on the fact that Pepsi consumer research discovered in blind taste tests that a majority of consumers preferred the taste of Pepsi to that of Coke. The “Pepsi Challenge” campaign made this public knowledge and Coke executives quickly moved to change America’s top brand.

New Coke came in a new can, with updated red and silver graphics replacing the traditional red and white look. Although taste tests of the New Coke had shown that majority of those tested preferred the new product, these tests could not gauge the emotional appeal of the “old” Coke. In other words, consumers want their cake and eat it too. A large public outcry ensued during the 79 days when old Coke was no longer on the shelves. Coca-Cola quickly reintroduced the “old” Coke when they realized market share was falling and christened it Classic Coke. Volume for the classic brand has risen 24 percent since 1984, making it the No. 1 soft drink in the land since 1987. Consumers became even more loyal to the brand after it was temporarily taken away from them.

Are your new products creating a similar situation for some of your older brands?