STAN FREBERG HERE..
.Taco Bell In China?
Stan Freberg here. Sometimes Madison Avenue just doesn't understand
how ad campaigns from America may not translate well in other countries,
like China. Kentucky Fried Chicken's 'Finger-Lickin' Good' came out, 'Makes
Your Fingers Fall Off.' Swell. [:60 SPOT BREAK] A while back, Pepsi, trying to capture the
China market, ran a campaign that had been very successful in America: billboards
and TV ads that said, 'Pepsi--makes you come alive.' When the Chinese translated,
it now read, 'Pepsi--makes your ancestors come back from the dead.' The
campaign bombed. Now, I hear PepsiCo, who owns Taco Bell, is thinking of
running their Chihuahua campaign in China. Bad move. Over there, when they
say, "It's what's for dinner," they don't mean beef; they mean
Benji. If Taco Bell runs those TV spots starring the little dog, the Chinese
may say, 'Mmm, Chihuahua tacos. They look delicious.' Stan Freberg here.
Copyright ©1998, Stan
Freberg/Freberg, Ltd. (but not very) Distributed by Dick Brescia
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