Beanz Meanz Heinz

When Parker Pen marketed a ball-point pen in Mexico, its ads were supposed to have read, "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass you." The company thought that the word "embarazar" (to impregnate) meant to embarrass, so the ad read: "It won't leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."


Clairol introduced the "Mist Stick," a curling iron, into Germany only to find out that "mist" is slang for manure. Not too many people had use for the "Manure Stick."


Coors put its slogan, "Turn It Loose," into Spanish, where it was read as "Suffer From Diarrhea."


Pepsi's "Come Alive With the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back From the Grave" in Chinese.


When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in Africa, companies routinely put pictures on the labels of what's inside, since many people can't read.


Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cue, the name of a notorious porno magazine.


Frank Perdue's chicken slogan, "It takes a strong man to make a tender chicken," was translated into Spanish as "it takes an aroused man to make a chicken affectionate."


The Dairy Association's huge success with the campaign "Got Milk?" prompted them to expand advertising to Mexico. It was soon brought to their attention the Spanish translation read "Are You Lactating?"


General Motors had a very famous fiasco in trying to market the Nova car in Central and South America. "No va" in Spanish means, "It Doesn't Go".

chopperbyrne wrote: »

We had a discussion on this in school years ago and decided that the greatest advertising slogan/jingle is "Washing machines live longer with Calgon!"

Oh, that's a good one! I've often said that randomly to people and pondered why I remembered it.

They must of used some subliminal messaging it that Calgon ad.

Apparently It's an ancient Chinese secret.