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Originally posted by John Kettler:

Sivodsi,

Back in my aerospace days, my favorite language flawed ad in INTERNATIONAL DEFENSE REVIEW read "For armored vehicles attacking fastly." Believe the product was an MRL firing parachute deployed AT mines.

Regards,

John Kettler

"Pull off handle fall off door" (Ejection instruction data plate on a Beagle bomber)
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-E-,

Love it! Coca Cola in its initial Chinese transliteration read "eat wax fishies" before judicious changes became the infinitely more appealing "may the mouth be refreshed." One of my favorite poorly chosen names for international business was the Chevy Nova, which south of the border and in Spain became no va (doesn't go). Exxon originally had only one "x" until it was discovered that Exon = stalled car in Japanese.

Regards,

John Kettler

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Chinese Coca Cola and Chevrolet Nova is untrue. Exon tale is also false but if you meant japanese phoenetic spelling of 'Esso' then it would be correct.

"The Chevy Nova legend lives on in countless marketing textbooks, is repeated in numerous business seminars, and is a staple of newspaper and magazine columnists who need a pithy example of human folly. Perhaps someday this apocryphal tale will become what it should be: an illustration of how easily even "experts" can sometimes fall victim to the very same dangers they warn us about. "

Originally posted by John Kettler:

-E-,

Love it! Coca Cola in its initial Chinese transliteration read "eat wax fishies" before judicious changes became the infinitely more appealing "may the mouth be refreshed." One of my favorite poorly chosen names for international business was the Chevy Nova, which south of the border and in Spain became no va (doesn't go). Exxon originally had only one "x" until it was discovered that Exon = stalled car in Japanese.

Regards,

John Kettler

[ October 30, 2006, 08:10 AM: Message edited by: Wicky ]

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Wicky,

It appears from your first link that the story was true initially, that is, before Coca Cola put out its own official Chinese language signage in 1928.

Was unaware of the many angles of the Nova story and appreciate your providing them. The Exon = stalled car story was something I read many moons ago in either TIME or U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT. Here's what a former employee of the firm's touring service had to say. See Inside Info

http://shorock.com/don/maps/touring.htm

See also the even more informative Esso/Jersey Standard/Humble account here.

http://www.us-highways.com/sohist1999.htm

And this, on the pitfalls of global marketing, covers not only the items under discussion, but many others as well, with outcomes running from hilarious to disastrous.

http://www.intuitive.com/globalsoftware/gs-chap5.html

Regards,

John Kettler

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