Get to know the interesting names of Polish and foreign companies!

Interesting names must attract attention and be easy to remember - so that consumers can associate them and recommend them. In practice, however, they are rarely found. Unfortunately, they improve the mood of Internet users more often than they attract customers. As you can see from many examples, creating a good name is more difficult than it sounds.

Until recently, naming was treated as a whim of wealthy corporations. Now even novice entrepreneurs reach for name-creation specialists. Not without reason, as it is the most important element of a marketing strategy. A unique name is the most valuable asset of a good brand. It is on it that the image success of the future company, product or service depends.

People responsible for this part of branding have a real problem to find interesting names that will be catchy and easy to remember. In the era of so many markets and companies, it is difficult to get a creative idea. Moreover, it does not guarantee that all marketing problems will be avoided. Especially when a given company plans its operations on international markets.

Interesting names are not always effective

The idea for a brand can bring big profits, as long as it does not have bad associations with consumers. However, even for companies that invest in research and development, it is not difficult for linguistic mishaps and the use of an "incorrect" name. Such interesting names appear regularly, for example, in the automotive industry.

Incomplete recognition of foreign cultures or a superficial knowledge of the language leads to really interesting situations. Unfortunately, interesting names are not forgotten by the market and it is difficult to regain reputation after such a mishap. Often times, the marketing bum is also reflected in the decline in sales. Such a situation befell the luxury car brand Rolls-Royce in 1965. The new Rolls-Royce Silver Mist, known to this day as the Silver Shadow, was presented at the international trade fair. So how did it happen that the "Silver Mist" became the "Silver Shadow"? Apparently naming specialists did not fully understand the German market. Because "Mist" in German means "dung" or "fertilizer", you can guess that this is not an appropriate name for an exclusive car.

A similar case happened to the Audi concern in 2010.A new model aptly named Audi e-Tron, which was presented at the Detroit fair, was to enter the market. The German concern lacked proper recognition of the French market, because the word "étron" in French means "dung". However, the Spanish-speaking market posed the most problems for various companies. Perhaps the most famous example is the Mitsubishi Pajero, which released the Montero model especially for this language group. It turned out that "pajero" means a person who is masturbating. As you can guess, this name does not appeal to men - the target group of this model.

When it comes to interesting names, Mazda can be proud of the Laputa model, or "courtesan", while the Nissan Moco is "nose picking". Chevrolet sells the Nova model, which means "a vehicle that does not drive", while the name Ascona (Opel Ascona cars) means female genitalia. However, the biggest hit in the automotive market is the KIA Picanto. In the Brazilian Portuguese dialect, when it is broken down into two parts, we get "pica" or penis and "canto" to sing. Certainly, nothing improves the comfort of driving like the realization that you are driving a "singing male genre".

Market recognition is essential

However, interesting names are found not only in the world of cars. Procter & Gamble once had a very big problem with bringing Ariel powder to the Palestinian market. Israel was ruled by Ariel Sharon, and the atom badge in the background was not too lucky to be associated with the Star of David. This is why the product was boycotted there for a long time. On the other hand, the American chain of Starbucks cafés shone on the German market with their slogan "Enjoy your morning latte?". In one slang, "latte" simply means "erection".

Interesting foreign names on the Polish market

On the other hand, Nike suffered a serious mishap in 2012. On the occasion of Saint Patrick's Day, he produced a special line of shoes, the name of which was invented by Internet users. They resembled the color of a popular drink consisting of two beers: Guinness and Harpa, which is called "The Black and Tan".

The name invented by Internet users was picked up by the company, who prided themselves on the color of SB Dunk Low shoes resembling a mixture of these beers. Unfortunately, marketing specialists did not notice that the name has a bottom line. The people of Ireland associated it unequivocally with terror and impunity. The Black and Tan is the name of a paramilitary unit set up in 1920 by the Royal Irish Police to fight the IRA. Paradoxically, the shoes reminded the inhabitants of the "Green Island" of the bloody events of the revolution of the twenties of the last century.

If you look at our market, you can also find interesting company names that sound quite funny in Polish. The Korean cosmetics concern, which recently entered the domestic market, is called O Hui. However, for several years, Polish women have been using cosmetics from the Italian company Pupa, which care for the skin not only on this one part of the body. In turn, the Italian company Husqvarna recently launched the Nuda model. Not to mention the German Osram light bulbs, which simply dressed Poles.

Interesting names and linguistic bloopers can also be found among domestic companies. A person working for a hotel located in the former Boner Palace in Krakow showed that she did not speak English. In order to encourage foreign customers to use the services and emphasize the high standard of the place, the name was changed to The Boner Palace. The intention was to refer to a well-known name, and as a result, it made tourists smile. It turned out that "boner" means "erection", so the name was quickly changed to The Bonerowski Palace.

As you can see, the person responsible for creating the name should be not only creative but also anticipatory. Not always a catchy and catchy slogan can translate into profits for the company. Often, marketing mishaps cost much more than properly done market research. That is why naming specialists are at a premium.