What Could Go Wrong with Localisation in China?🤦‍♀️

There are common problems that international brands face when they come into the China market. A few examples are brand messaging, underestimating local competitors, English websites not working due to inappropriate Chinese translations, technical problems, wrong product mixes or local regulations, etc.

Look below at some classic examples outlined by brand analysts Stefan Weynfeldt and Fran Lu of how they got it wrong, such as branding in Chinese.

🥤1. Coca-Cola
Translation and branding failures can get the best of everyone, including Coca-Cola. When the brand first appeared in China, their name sometimes translated to “Bite the wax tadpole” or “Female horse stuffed with wax” – depending on the dialect.

🍗2. KFC
The KFC slogan “finger-lickin' good,” has been translated to “eat your fingers off” in Beijing. This slogan makes people feel uncomfortable, so they turn away from the restaurant.

🥤3. Pepsi
The famous slogan from Pepsi – “Pepsi Brings You Back to Life” had an unfortunate translation mishap in China. The slogan translated to “Pepsi Brings Your Ancestors Back from the Grave.” The Chinese translation of it was odd and has caused many causes many customers to give up consuming the product.

☕4.Costa – 咖世家 Ka Shi Jia
The “Ka Shi Jia”, translated to “Respectable Family (skilled in) Coffee”, and appears more like a furniture store that sells products of poor taste. But luckily, its Chinese name is not that widely known because most Costa stores do not have the Chinese name on their shop fronts.

🏨5. Airbnb – 爱彼迎 Ai Bi Ying
Airbnb’s Chinese name caused a stir on social networks when they announced it in March. Although the company explained that “Ai Bi Ying” meant “Let people greet each other with love” and insisted that the name conveys Airbnb’s spirit, many people found it far-fetched and hard to read. Some even joked that the name and pink backdrop looked more like a family planning brand.

Find out more about Chinese Localisation Marketing Strategies, check out this
blog:
https://www.enlybee.com/the-most-comprehensive-chinese-localisation-marketing-strategy-guide/

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