Imagine the grand unveiling at the Frankfort Auto Show. A sexy model pulls away the sheet hiding the newest Audi as an announcer says, “Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the all new 2010 Audi e-Tron.”
And the French reporters fall to the floor, laughing hysterically.
Gas2.org has the story of Audi’s shitty day:
Naming cars in this day of globalization has become an exercise of gargantuan proportions. For marketers and brand managers, the trick is to avoid a name that can be translated as something less than appealing in one of the dozens of languages you plan on marketing in. Even so, every now and then we get one that is slightly out of place, but usually it’s not a huge misstep.
But has Audi crossed the line from funny to major blunder in naming their entire upcoming electric car brand “e-tron”? It appears they have because, as it turns out, the word “étron” in French means “excrement.” And Germany and France even share a border!
Audi’s e-tron brand has certainly had its fair share of the limelight—garnering lots of hype from the first entrant, the R8 e-tron. It’s a super sexy electric rocket that Audi says they will produce in a limited run. But now imagine it if you happen to speak French; “super sexy crap rocket” doesn’t really have much of a ring to it.
A personal story from the editor:
Back in my ad agency days, a client once asked us to translate its successful American ad campaign into German. We hired a translator to do the work. Unfortunately, no one at the agency nor at the client’s American office spoke German, so no one realized that two letters had been transposed in the final version of the ad. Our mistake, in retrospect, was in not having someone in the client’s German office proofread the ad. As soon as it ran, the client was flooded with phone calls. Turns out that as a result of those transposed letters, the headline said, “Our products are assholes.”
I feel Audi’s pain.
Source: Gas2.org via Tim Blair
View Comments (13)
that car looks like something out of tron
Be VERY careful when asking for bread in Greek (or writing ads)... "Psomi" (pronounced "pso-MEE") is "bread". "Psoli" (pronounced "pso-LEE") is a colloquialism for "phallus". ;-)
Imagine the stunned silence in living rooms across the country when the ad airs during prime time TV....
"Try Uncle Yorgo's hot, fresh psoli! It's the best you've ever put in your mouth!"
(The pun fodder is infinite.)
That car is a badmotherfu.....who cares what it is called? And does anyone ouside france speak french? Seriously? A few dudes in switzerland, and little france(belgium), but really, who gives an eff about french when you can drive a bright orange rocket ship that is shaped like a dick?
Boring, academic answer to your question about where French is spoken:
Besides the places you mentioned, French is also spoken in Luxembourg, Haiti, Monaco, French Canada, and in a surprisingly large number of African countries (mostly former French and Belgian colonies).
When you refer to it that way, who can resist?
"every now and then we get one that is slightly out of place, but usually it’s not a huge misstep." This one was definitely a mist-step.
Any German-speakers in the audience? Hint - they really stepped in "it". ;-)
HEEEEEY! Here's an idea. Government Motors can buy that, and then sell it as
(are you ready for this???)
(is your heart racing??)
(here we go)
the OBOMBI-ETRON!!!!!!!!!!!!
Well, it took several decades, but it looks like Chevy's Nova is now in 2nd place!
beginning to? They taught bagdad bob everything he knew!
The French should love it. They have been driving shit cars for sometime.
On a trip to a relative's wedding in Germany...with my limited German language skills....I went to the store to get ham and cheese to make sandwiches for the flight home. I was fine ordering the schinken, but then when I ordered my "young" Gouda cheese.....I swithced my words and ordered....a young boy, instead of "young" Gouda.
My language has improved greatly since then.
So now you know the proper way to order a young boy?
You should call Audi they could use "Our products are assholes" as signature line for the E-tron.