Ahora disponible—but who’s buying?
No. Way.
“Poor choice” sometimes seems… so inadequate.
The lesson:
Check what your name means in as many languages as you can, folks.
‘Specially if you’re advertising in the middle of a bilingual (trilingual, gazillion-lingual…) country, because for this company it’s not an abstract bit of research for when they may expand one day. It’s now.
Grow and be well,
Kelly Erickson
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23 March 2010, 4:09 am
Too funny! I no longer make the connection. In Spain the word Bimbo means packaged sliced bread like Kleenix means tissue. It’s amazing how we become desensitized, eh?
Alex Fayle ¡ Someday Syndrome´s latest blog… Resolving to Be Happier: The Happiness Project
23 March 2010, 6:38 am
Alex,
The sign has appeared everywhere in the last couple of weeks. I snapped the picture after several people asked me if I knew what it was (because I speak Spanish) and said they’d been offended by it. I said they must have read it wrong, so I went to investigate.
You know what happened to Chevy in the 1970s when they were going to introduce their economical little car into Mexico?
It didn’t sell at all.
It was named Nova.
Who’s gonna buy a car that says right it the name, “It doesn’t go”?
Good luck to the Bimbos. But for the people who’ve been talking to me, it looks like… no va.
Regards,
Kelly
23 March 2010, 9:46 am
I think you’re a little off base here Kelly. Bimbo Bakeries manages many different brands, some of which you’re probably VERY familiar with…Mrs. Baird’s anyone?
Their sweet bread/pastry brand (pictured in your post) absolutely dominates the Mexican market. I’d be willing to bet that behind beer and soft drinks, they are the largest seller in every convenience store (at least here in the South).
I think you should get used to seeing the Bimbo brand…because they’re not going anywhere soon.
Tim Sanchez´s latest blog… Predator on a Plane
23 March 2010, 12:54 pm
I saw a truck on the highway from that company. The Bimbo logo was sprawled across the 52 ft trailer. My friend and I laughed when we saw it.
Then I thought niche marketing might be working for them… Isn’t that what you were encouraging us to do a while ago… get so focused in identifying our target market that the jargon appeals only to the that select group?
23 March 2010, 1:31 pm
Tim,
Respectfully, being dominant does not equal having a good name. McDonald’s, for instance, is a pretty useless name except by virtue of massive marketing dollars and many years of use. But it does have the advantage over Bimbo in that it’s not a widely-known slur, in any country they choose to move into.
The several people who pointed this company’s signage out to me may have to “get used to it,” but they do not have to give money to the company. And that’s a brand handicap.
Todd,
LOL—Could be, though if they’re *aiming* to attract people who find “bimbo” to be a good sales pitch in English, they may as well ditch the cute little bear.
Until later,
Kelly
23 March 2010, 2:37 pm
Kelly, always with respect.
I’m not arguing that it’s a good name; obviously it’s not. However, I don’t think they expect YOU to give money to the Bimbo brand. They expect the ever-growing Hispanic population to give them money, and they do.
Should they call it the “Sweet Bread” brand and alienate (no pun intended) the exact market they’re after? I think not.
Tim Sanchez´s latest blog… How USAA Does Surveys – The Good and The Bad
23 March 2010, 3:05 pm
Kelly – hehehe! but the bimbo bear is so cute… beats a gorilla any day!
26 March 2010, 8:39 am
Hey folks, if you haven’t thought about this enough:
Hilarious take on the homework companies skip when going international… Why Good Copywriting Goes Bad by Dean Rieck guesting at Men With Pens.
Until later,
Kelly