给新产品起名字同样要小心

　　If the naming of babies usually follows conservative rules, that of successful new products or services requires a completely different logic. Advertising campaigns need to stand out in the playground, to be noticed, and sometimes even to be laughed at. Our very first reaction to great names is often amusement or confusion. What did you think of Yahoo, Google, iPod and BlackBerry when you first heard them?

　　如果说给孩子起名往往得遵循一些保守的规则，那么一个成功的新产品(或服务项目)的命名可就得遵循完全不同的逻辑了。广告宣传需要卓尔不群，需要引人注意，有时甚至需要惹人发笑。我们对于好名字的第一反应往往是觉得好笑或者感到疑惑。你第一次听到Yahoo(雅虎)、Google(谷歌)、iPod和BlackBerry(黑莓)的时候，是怎么想的呢？

　　Although it has always been very hard to sell French wine in the US, one particular brand is really going against the trend. Its name is Fat Bastard Chardonnay. Of course, creative strategies have their risks, especially in the global village, there words can have different emotional associations or even completely different meanings. One just has to do one's homework. Clairol's Mist Stick should have been checked before ite launch in Germany, just as Norma's Body Bag rucksack should have been checked before its introduction into the US.

　　尽管法国

葡萄酒在美国一直很难卖，不过有一个牌子却一枝独秀。它的名字叫 Fat Bastard Chardonnay(肥私生子夏敦埃酒)。当然，独特的创意也有风险，特别是在地球村中——同样的词(在不同的文化中)往往会有不同的感情色彩，甚至表示完全不同的意思。你必须做足(命名前的)准备工作。伊卡璐的Mist Stick牌喷雾卷发棒在投放德国市场前，本应该慎重一点，而诺马公司的Body Bag牌背包也应该在打进美国之前调查一下。(注：Mist Stick是一种喷雾卷发棒的品牌，但mist在德国俚语中表示“粪便”，所以引起了德国人的反感。Body Bag是德国一种旅行用帆布背包的品牌。而body bag在美国指“带有拉链的装尸带”。)