Had to start a new category for this – guess which one.
Why on Earth would anyone use this name for anything at all, let alone an energy drink? Any bets on how long they stay in business without a name change?
Over at the Black Bastard Website you can contact them by email and complain, since this choice of brand name seems to be intentionally racist and not simply an example of a cross cultural marketing blunder.
Wandering further around the blogosphere today I also came across this BBC article about an unfortunate name choice for a restaurant in Mumbai.
~ found on Letters Home To You ~
casa azahar 
Astounding. The stupidity… That particular term was used widely in Northern Ireland when I worked up there many years ago to refer to protestants. So it hits the sectarian buttons as well as racist ones.
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Well, it warms the cockles of my heart to see that people across the world can still rise to the heights of stupidity.
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I would totally drink Black Bastard.
Loved the link to “cross cultural marketing blunder”. Alot of things I hadn’t heard about before.
I heard that Gerber babyfood sold poorly in Africa. It seems, due to widespread illiteracy, products in Africa have a picture of their contents on the label. Gerber babyfood has a picture of a baby…
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I don’t drink any ‘energy drinks’ just because I’m nervous enough as it is. So you don’t find the name offensive, Bagel?
Yes, some of those “cross cultural marketing blunders” were pretty funny. Someone I know who once lived in Iran told me about a problem with trying to export Barf Laundry Powder.
I wonder how Africans would react to Johnson’s Baby Oil? Or even Baby Powder?
It would be interesting to hear about some other cross cultural marketing blunders…
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Azahar, I find few things offensive. I can see how some would be offended, tho.
Mmmm…powdered babies
Just add water!
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The reason I am offended by this name, Bagel, is that I feel quite sure that the people promoting this product knew exactly what they were doing. Which was taking the piss in a very offensive manner and hoping they’d get away with it.
There has to be about a million other names they could have called it. Why choose one that is clearly offensive to black people?
Well, unless you happen to be black yourself and refer to someone as a ‘black bastard’ in a jokesy manner.
Same goes for ‘black muthafucka’ … a term so overly-used in Tarantino films. Yet in these films it’s always black people saying it to other black people, either as an insult or even as a jokesy term of endearment.
I might find the naming of this product a bit of a joke if the people running the company were black and decided this might be a tongue-in-cheek whatever. But this isn’t the case.
In fact, it’s a German company run by white people. Like, nothing racist going on there?
Anyhoodle . . . just to say that it’s probably quite easy for white people to say this doesn’t seem offensive to them. My point was that it probably is quite offensive to black people and that it should be recognised as such.
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I find the name offensive, the intent offensive. And I find “energy drinks” offensive. They claim to do things they don’t actually do, and get people hopped up on unhealthy levels of caffeine.
On a completely unrelated topic, azahar, a while ago in my comments section you asked me if I was going to upload video of the Monarch butterflies. I found a place and means to do this, and you can find a link to the video on today’s post. Enjoy! And thanks for the push to do it. It was actually pretty fun.
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“In fact, it’s a German company run by white people”
How do you know the race of the company?
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Great, hmh, I’ll check that video out. Thanks for letting me know.
“How do you know the race of the company?”
Well, I reckon the ‘race’ of the company would be the human race, but the specific colour of human came across as white to me, based on the advertisements. Though I admit I could be wrong, Bagel.
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I actually think this is probably a goof. The benefit (profits) to be gained from marketing a controversy likely to induce a boycott is minimal, and there aren’t enough genuine Nazis in the world to support the product on sales.
Besides, how many places would ever carry it?
Thinking cross-culturally, I tend to believe that it’s possible some well-meaning moron in marketing came up with this.
It wouldn’t be the first time, even in this enlightened age. Not even close.
And it’s a fraction of an improvement on this and its product cousins.
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I think you’re being very generous, Metro.
I don’t see how in 2007 anyone could put out a new product under that name and not know the racist nature of the name.
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