“Our offering ‘Cross-cultural consulting for brands’ is used by clients looking to probe corporate slogans, campaign taglines, product names and nomenclatures or creative concepts for cultural compatibility and impact. The aim is to avoid potential dissonances while arriving at the right rational and emotional approach to target groups worldwide.”
What we check
| Criterion | Question | How it can go wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Does the name mean something in the target language, or resemble a word that means something else there? | a name that sounds vulgar or ridiculous in the target market |
| Sound | How is the name pronounced there, and what do people hear? | a letter and number combination that sounds like a swear word when spoken |
| Associations | What does the product stand for in the target market? | In the US, cars are often seen as a symbol of freedom. In Germany they are a carefully considered investment, in China mainly a status symbol. |
| Uniqueness | Is the idea still fresh there? | Some ideas are fresh in one market, but old hat or overused in another. |
| Apparent origin | Does the name sound the way it is meant to sound? | a product name that sounds like your language yet is somehow a little off |
| Unintended messages | Could the tagline say something that harms the brand? | a double meaning that the target market reads as a promise or an innuendo |
| Image and color | Do visuals and colors fit the name and tagline in the target market? | Colors, numbers and gestures trigger different associations from one culture to the next. |
Known cases, and one legend
Plenty of stories circulate about product names gone wrong, and not all of them are true. These renamings are documented:
| Name | Market | Problem | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota MR2 | French-speaking markets | spoken aloud, sounds like “merde” | sold there as “MR” |
| Mitsubishi Pajero | Spanish-speaking markets | “pajero” is a vulgar insult in Spanish | sold there as “Montero” |
| Hyundai Kona | Portugal | sounds like a vulgar Portuguese word | sold there as “Kauai” |
| Chevrolet Nova | Spanish-speaking markets | supposedly heard as “no va” (“doesn’t go”) | legend: the Nova was also sold in Mexico and Venezuela between 1972 and 1978, and “nova” is stressed differently from “no va” |
Sources: Goodwood Road & Racing, 2021 (MR2, Pajero, Kona), Snopes (Chevrolet Nova)
Mistakes like these are the kind any proofreader worth his salt can, or should be able to, spot. The more dangerous ones are quieter.
The riskier mistakes stay under the radar
“Seemingly small flaws can make a big difference. And undermine the effectiveness of translated messages in local markets. Or worse, cause damage to the brand itself.”
In your own language you would notice such mistakes at once. In someone else’s, you rarely do. Typical examples:
a photo with a mix of people that is right for the US but does not reflect everyday life in Germany
ad copy written in the UK that taps into aspirations the target audience simply does not share
a sincere “Merry Christmas” that non-Christians in the US may well take as a slight
a forthright opinion in a customer magazine that raises no eyebrows in Germany and is tantamount to social suicide in Japan
What endangers a name or tagline is rarely the obvious blunder. It is the effect just under the radar, the one only native speakers notice.
How the check works
Brief. You send us the name or tagline, along with product, target markets, target group and positioning.
A team per market. We hand-pick a team of mother-tongue experts and copywriters to suit your product, medium and cultural group.
Assessment. The team checks against the criteria above and discusses the findings together.
Test, if you wish. A microsurvey in the target market tests the effect before launch.
Recommendation. You get our assessment for each market. If a name or tagline fails, we develop alternatives: naming and slogan creation are part of our marketing services.
What this check does not replace
A trademark search is the legal side: Is the name available, can it be registered, does it infringe earlier rights? Trademark lawyers answer those questions by searching the registers, for example at the German Patent and Trade Mark Office (DPMA), the European Union Intellectual Property Office (EUIPO) or the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
You can run a first search yourself free of charge: in DPMAregister for German trademarks, in TMview for the registers of the EUIPO and many national offices in one go, and in WIPO’s Global Brand Database for international registrations. Such a search will not tell you whether a similar earlier mark stands in your way. That is for a trademark specialist to judge.
Our check answers the other question: How will the name land in the target market? You need both before you launch.
As of October 2026. We check language and cultural effect; we do not give legal advice. Whether a name can be protected is a matter for a trademark search by trademark specialists.
Who the check is for
Mid-sized companies going international. We do for small and medium-sized companies what many international networks do for big corporations, including testing strategies for international effectiveness.
Agencies. If you develop names and taglines for your clients, we can check them before you present.
International brands launching in Germany. There is a separate page for that: Adapting global campaigns for Germany.
Under cross-cultural consulting for brands, our client list includes BASF, Evonik Industries, Liebherr, Vaillant and Walter. You will find the full list in our Showcase.
Frequently asked questions
A trademark search looks at legal rights: Is the name available and can it be registered? A name check looks at language and culture: What does the name mean in the target market, how does it sound, what does it call to mind? You need both before launch. The trademark search is done by trademark specialists, not by us.
In the trademark registers: DPMAregister for Germany, TMview for the EUIPO and many national offices at once, WIPO’s Global Brand Database for international registrations. Searching them is free. Whether similar earlier marks stand in the way of a name is for trademark specialists to judge.
No register shows how the name sounds in the target market or what it means there. That is what we check.
For obvious meanings, perhaps. No dictionary finds sound, slang, allusions or associations. It takes more than a dictionary to bring a brand world and strategic message to life in another culture.
Yes. Typically corporate slogans, campaign taglines, product names, nomenclatures and creative concepts. For master campaigns we also look at visuals and color choices and review competitor marketing in the target country.
We put the teams together from mother-tongue experts to suit your product, medium and cultural group, and reach target groups in Europe, the UK, the Americas, Japan and China. To find out whether your market is covered, just ask us.
A small piece of market research in the target market. We use it before launch to test whether a name, tagline or concept has the intended effect there.
Then we develop alternatives. Naming and slogan creation are part of our services.
No, that is a legend. The Nova was also sold in Mexico and other Spanish-speaking countries between 1972 and 1978, primarily in Venezuela. And “nova” is one word stressed on the first syllable, while “no va” is two words stressed on the second (Snopes). There are enough documented cases anyway, see the table above.