Name Not a Game to Google China Users
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Written By Reprise Media | May 3, 2006 | Share This
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“Awkward”, “nonsensical”, and “rude” are probably not high on any marketing manager’s list of desired brand attributes. But that’s the challenge facing the Chinese version of Google, which has been drawing some heat over its choice of name.
The current moniker - “Guge” - is being protested by some (over 3,200 to be exact) in an online petition to suggest a new name for the Google property.
From a story in the Guardian UK:
“It is less than a fortnight since Google said it would be known as Guge, represented by the ideograms for valley and song. The name conveyed ‘the sense of a fruitful and productive search experience in a poetic Chinese way’, it said. But in a poll by news portal Sina.com, 85% of respondents were opposed to Guge. Tens of thousands of others have signed an online petition calling for Google to rethink its Chinese identity. Soso, one of the leaders of the campaign, said: ‘When I first heard the name Guge, I couldn’t help laughing. It sounded like fool, funny and fart.’”
Ha ha. He said fart.
Seriously though, it’s interesting to see the cool kids on the playground get teased for once. Check out one of the many protest sites and then check out this Google China Flash Ad and ponder the differences between American and Chinese marketing (you can start with a concept called “subtlety” and then move on to the complete lack of references to extreme sports, sexy women and overly-caffeinated beverages).
Topics: Search: News |