masterwordsmith-unplugged

Today is the first day of school. In my excitement, I forgot to prepare the 6.15a.m. post for today. Here's a list of marketing bloopers that a friend sent to me via email some time back. Have a nice day and keep smiling!

1. Coors put its slogan, "Turn it loose," into Spanish where it was read as "Suffer from diarrhea."



2. Scandinavian vacuum manufacturer Electrolux used the following in an American campaign: Nothing sucks like an Electrolux.


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


4. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the beautiful Caucasian 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.


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


6. 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).


7. Pepsi's "Come alive with the Pepsi Generation" translated into "Pepsi brings your ancestors back from the grave", in Chinese.


8. 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."


9. The Coca-Cola name in China was first read as "Ke-kou-ke-la", meaning "Bite the wax tadpole" or "female horse stuffed with wax", depending on the dialect. Coke then researched 40,000 characters to find a phonetic equivalent "ko-kou-ko-le", translating into "happiness in the mouth."


10. 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." Instead, 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."

You know you are over the hill when...

You find yourself beginning to like accordion music.

You're sitting on a park bench and a Boy Scout comes up and helps you cross your legs.

Lawn care has become a big highlight of your life.

You tune into the easy listening station...on purpose.

You discover that your measurements are now small, medium and large...In that order.

You light the candles on your birthday cake and a group of campers form a circle and start singing Kumbaya.

You keep repeating yourself.

You start video taping daytime game shows.

At the airport, they ask to check your bags...and you're not carrying any luggage.

You wonder why you waited so long to take up macrame.

Your Insurance Company has started sending you their free calendar...a month at a time.

At cafeterias, you complain that the gelatin is too tough.

Your new easy chair has more options than your car.

When you do the "Hokey Pokey" you put your left hip out...and it stays out.

One of the throw pillows on your bed is a hot water bottle.

Conversations with people your own age often turn into "dueling ailments."

You keep repeating yourself.

It takes a couple of tries to get over a speed bump.

You discover the words, "whippersnapper," "scalawag" and "by-cracky" creeping into your vocabulary.

You're on a TV game show and you decide to risk it all and go for the rocker.

You begin every other sentence with, "Nowadays..."

You run out of breath walking DOWN a flight of stairs.

You look both ways before crossing a room.

Your social security number only has three digit s.

You keep repeating yourself.

You come to the conclusion that your worst enemy is gravity.

You go to a Garden Party and you're mainly interested in the garden.

You find your mouth making promises your body can't keep.

The waiter asks how you'd like your steak...and you say "pureed".

At parties you attend, "regularity" is considered the topic of choice.

-Author Unknown-